Caesar
But then to see how ye’re negleckit,How huff’d, an’ cuff’d, an’ disrespeckit!Lord man, our gentry care as littleFor delvers, ditchers, an’ sic cattle;They gang as saucy by poor folk,As I wad by a stinkin brock.
I’ve notic’d, on our laird’s court-day,—An’ mony a time my heart’s been wae,—Poor tenant bodies, scant o’cash,How they maun thole a factor’s snash;He’ll stamp an’ threaten, curse an’ swearHe’ll apprehend them, poind their gear;While they maun stan’, wi’ aspect humble,An’ hear it a’, an’ fear an’ tremble!
I see how folk live that hae riches;But surely poor-folk maun be wretches!
Words in this poem
- gentry n.
- Birth; condition; rank by birth. [OE. genterie, gentrie, noble birth, nobility, cf. gentrise, and OF. gentelise, genterise, E. gentilesse, also OE. genteleri high-mindedness. See Gent, a., Gentl]
- folk n.
- In Anglo-Saxon times, the people of a group of townships or villages; a community; a tribe. [AS. folc; akin to D. volk, OS. & OHG. folk, G. volk, Icel. f, Sw. & Dan. folk, Lith. pulkas crowd, and perh. to E. follow.]
- brock n.
- A brocket. Bailey. [See Brocket.]
- laird n.
- A lord; a landholder, esp. one who holds land directly of the crown. [See Lord.]
- thole v. t.
- To bear; to endure; to undergo. Gower. [OE. þolen, þolien, AS. þolian; akin to OS. tholon, OHG. dolen, G. geduld patience, dulden to endure, Icel. þola, Sw. tåla, Dan. taale, Goth. þulan, L. tolerate,]
- poind v. t.
- To impound, as cattle. Flavel. [See Pound to confine.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Caesar is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems and Songs of Robert Burns, Project Gutenberg ebook #1279; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Robert Burns, Caesar, in Poems and Songs (1786–1796), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1279, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/burns-poems/caesar-2.html, id L03001.
Form and metre
Caesar is 16 lines in 3 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 83%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.6 syllables. 5 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 12% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AA---- negleckitA · disrespeckitA · little · cattle · folk · brock
- 2 --AABB-- day · wae · o'cashA · snashA · swearB · gearB · humble · tremble
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| But then to see how ye’re negleckit, | 9 | ········· |
| How huff’d, an’ cuff’d, an’ disrespeckit! | 9 | ········· |
| Lord man, our gentry care as little | 9 | ··//˘··/˘ |
| For delvers, ditchers, an’ sic cattle; | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| They gang as saucy by poor folk, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| As I wad by a stinkin brock. | 8 | ········ |
| I’ve notic’d, on our laird’s court-day,— | 8 | ·/˘·/··· |
| An’ mony a time my heart’s been wae,— | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| Poor tenant bodies, scant o’cash, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| How they maun thole a factor’s snash; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| He’ll stamp an’ threaten, curse an’ swear | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| He’ll apprehend them, poind their gear; | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| While they maun stan’, wi’ aspect humble, | 9 | ·····/·/˘ |
| An’ hear it a’, an’ fear an’ tremble! | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| I see how folk live that hae riches; | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| But surely poor-folk maun be wretches! | 9 | ·/˘······ |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.