Gudewife of Wauchope—House, Roxburghshire
I Mind it weel in early date,When I was bardless, young, and blate,An’ first could thresh the barn,Or haud a yokin’ at the pleugh;An, tho’ forfoughten sair eneugh,Yet unco proud to learn:When first amang the yellow cornA man I reckon’d was,An’ wi’ the lave ilk merry mornCould rank my rig and lass,Still shearing, and clearingThe tither stooked raw,Wi’ claivers, an’ haivers,Wearing the day awa.
E’en then, a wish, (I mind its pow’r),A wish that to my latest hourShall strongly heave my breast,That I for poor auld Scotland’s sakeSome usefu’ plan or book could make,Or sing a sang at least.The rough burr-thistle, spreading wideAmang the bearded bear,I turn’d the weeder-clips aside,An’ spar’d the symbol dear:No nation, no station,My envy e’er could raise;A Scot still, but blot still,I knew nae higher praise.
But still the elements o’ sang,In formless jumble, right an’ wrang,Wild floated in my brain;’Till on that har’st I said before,May partner in the merry core,She rous’d the forming strain;I see her yet, the sonsie quean,That lighted up my jingle,Her witching smile, her pawky eenThat gart my heart-strings tingle;I fired, inspired,At every kindling keek,But bashing, and dashing,I feared aye to speak.
Health to the sex! ilk guid chiel says:Wi’ merry dance in winter days,An’ we to share in common;The gust o’ joy, the balm of woe,The saul o’ life, the heaven below,Is rapture-giving woman.Ye surly sumphs, who hate the name,Be mindfu’ o’ your mither;She, honest woman, may think shameThat ye’re connected with her:Ye’re wae men, ye’re nae menThat slight the lovely dears;To shame ye, disclaim ye,Ilk honest birkie swears.
For you, no bred to barn and byre,Wha sweetly tune the Scottish lyre,Thanks to you for your line:The marled plaid ye kindly spare,By me should gratefully be ware;’Twad please me to the nine.I’d be mair vauntie o’ my hap,Douce hingin owre my curple,Than ony ermine ever lap,Or proud imperial purple.Farewell then, lang hale then,An’ plenty be your fa;May losses and crossesNe’er at your hallan ca’!
R. BurnsMarch,
Whose is that noble, dauntless brow?And whose that eye of fire?And whose that generous princely mien,E’en rooted foes admire?
Stranger! to justly show that brow,And mark that eye of fire,Would take His hand, whose vernal tintsHis other works admire.
Bright as a cloudless summer sun,With stately port he moves;His guardian Seraph eyes with aweThe noble Ward he loves.
Among the illustrious Scottish sonsThat chief thou may’st discern,Mark Scotia’s fond-returning eye,—It dwells upon Glencairn.
Words in this poem 26
- weel
- A kind of trap or snare for fish, made of twigs. Carew. [Prov. E. weel, weal, a wicker basket to catch eels; prob. akin to willow, and so called as made of willow twigs.]
- thresh v. t.
- To beat out grain from, as straw or husks; to beat the straw or husk of (grain) with a flail; to beat off, as the kernels of grain; as, to thrash wheat, rye, or oats; to thrash over the old straw. [OE. , , to beat, AS. , ; akin to D. dorschen, OD. derschen, G. dreschen, OHG. dreskan, Icel. , Sw. tröska, Dan. tærske, Goth. , Lith. traszketi to rattle, Russ.]
- unco a.
- Unknown; strange, or foreign; unusual, or surprising; distant in manner; reserved. [Scot. The same word as E. uncouth.]
- lave v. t.
- To lade, dip, or pour out. [OE. laven. See Lavish.]
- morn n.
- The first part of the day; the morning; -- used chiefly in poetry. [OE. morwen, morgen, AS. morgen; akin to D. morgen, OS. morgan, G. morgen, Icel. morginn, morgunn, Sw. morgon, Dan. morgen, Goth. maúrgins. Cf. Morrow, Morning.]
- lass n.
- A youth woman; a girl; a sweetheart. [OE. lasse; prob. of Celtic origin; cf. W. llodes girl, fem. of llawd lad. (Lad a youth.]
- shearing n.
- The act or operation of clipping with shears or a shearing machine, as the wool from sheep, or the nap from cloth.
- tither n.
- One who collects tithes.
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- auld a.
- Old; as, Auld Reekie (old smoky), i. e., Edinburgh. [See Old.]
- formless a.
- Shapeless; without a determinate form; wanting regularity of shape.
- quean n.
- A woman; a young or unmarried woman; a girl. [Originally, a woman, AS. cwene; akin to OS. quena, OHG. quena, Icel. kona, Goth qin, and AS. cwén, also to Gr. gna goddess. Cf. Queen.]
- jingle v. i.
- To sound with a fine, sharp, rattling, clinking, or tinkling sound; as, sleigh bells jingle. [OE. gingelen, ginglen; prob. akin to E. chink; cf. also E. jangle.]
- witching a.
- That witches or enchants; suited to enchantment or witchcraft; bewitching.
- pawky a.
- Arch; cunning; sly. Jamieson. [Cf. AS. pæcean to deceive.]
- tingle v. i.
- To feel a kind of thrilling sensation, as in hearing a shrill sound. [Freq. of ting. Cf. Tinkle.]
- surly a.
- Arrogant; haughty. Cotgrave. [Probably from sir, and originally meaning, sirlike, i.e., proud. See Sir, and Like, a.]
- disclaim v. t.
- To renounce all claim to deny; ownership of, or responsibility for; to disown; to disavow; to reject.
- birkie n.
- A lively or mettlesome fellow. [Jocular, Scot.] Burns.
- byre n.
- A cow house. [N. of Eng.& Scot.] [Cf, Icel. bür pantry, Sw. bur cage,Dan. buur, E.bower.]
- douce a.
- Sweet; pleasant. [F. doux, masc., douce, fem., sweet, fr. L. duleis sweet.]
- dauntless a.
- Incapable of being daunted; undaunted; bold; fearless; intrepid.
- generous a.
- Of honorable birth or origin; highborn. [F. généreux, fr. L. generous of noble birth, noble, excellent, magnanimous, fr. genus birth, race: cf. It. generoso. See 2d Gender.]
- admire v. t.
- To regard with wonder or astonishment; to view with surprise; to marvel at. [F. admirer, fr. L. admirari; ad + mirari to wonder, for smirari, akin to Gr. smi, and E. smile.]
- cloudless a.
- Without a cloud; clear; bright.
- scotia n.
- A concave molding used especially in classical architecture. [L., fr. Gr. skoti`a darkness, a sunken molding in the base of a pillar, so called from the dark shadow it casts, from sko`tos darkness.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Gudewife of Wauchope—House, Roxburghshire 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, Gudewife of Wauchope—House, Roxburghshire, in Poems and Songs (1786–1796), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1279, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/burns-poems/gudewife-of-wauchope-house-roxburghshire.html, id L03072.
Form and metre
Gudewife of Wauchope—House, Roxburghshire is 88 lines in 10 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%). 95% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 6.9 syllables. 14 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 16% 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-BB-C-C----- dateA · blateA · barn · pleughB · eneughB · learn · cornC · was · mornC · lass · clearing · raw · haivers · awa
- 2 ---AA-BCBC-D-D pow'r · hour · breast · sakeA · makeA · least · wideB · bearC · asideB · dearC · station · raiseD · still · praiseD
- 3 AABCCBDEDE---- sangA · wrangA · brainB · beforeC · coreC · strainB · queanD · jingleE · eenD · tingleE · inspired · keek · dashing · speak
- 4 ---AA-B-B----- says · days · common · woeA · belowA · woman · nameB · mither · shameB · her · men · dears · ye · swears
- 5 --ABBACDCD---- byre · lyre · lineA · spareB · wareB · nineA · hapC · curpleD · lapC · purpleD · then · fa · crosses · ca
- 7 -A-A brow · fireA · mien · admireA
- 8 -A-A brow · fireA · tints · admireA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| I Mind it weel in early date, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| When I was bardless, young, and blate, | 8 | ········ |
| An’ first could thresh the barn, | 6 | ······ |
| Or haud a yokin’ at the pleugh; | 8 | ········ |
| An, tho’ forfoughten sair eneugh, | 8 | ········ |
| Yet unco proud to learn: | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| When first amang the yellow corn | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| A man I reckon’d was, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| An’ wi’ the lave ilk merry morn | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Could rank my rig and lass, | 6 | ······ |
| Still shearing, and clearing | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| The tither stooked raw, | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Wi’ claivers, an’ haivers, | 6 | ······ |
| Wearing the day awa. | 6 | /˘···· |
| E’en then, a wish, (I mind its pow’r), | 8 | ········ |
| A wish that to my latest hour | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| Shall strongly heave my breast, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| That I for poor auld Scotland’s sake | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Some usefu’ plan or book could make, | 9 | ········· |
| Or sing a sang at least. | 6 | ······ |
| The rough burr-thistle, spreading wide | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Amang the bearded bear, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| I turn’d the weeder-clips aside, | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| An’ spar’d the symbol dear: | 6 | ···/˘· |
| No nation, no station, | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| My envy e’er could raise; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| A Scot still, but blot still, | 6 | ······ |
| I knew nae higher praise. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| But still the elements o’ sang, | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| In formless jumble, right an’ wrang, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Wild floated in my brain; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| ’Till on that har’st I said before, | 8 | ········ |
| May partner in the merry core, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| She rous’d the forming strain; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| I see her yet, the sonsie quean, | 8 | ········ |
| That lighted up my jingle, | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| Her witching smile, her pawky een | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| That gart my heart-strings tingle; | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| I fired, inspired, | 8 | ·/˘˘˘/˘˘ |
| At every kindling keek, | 7 | ·/˘˘/˘· |
| But bashing, and dashing, | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| I feared aye to speak. | 5 | ····· |
| Health to the sex! ilk guid chiel says: | 8 | ········ |
| Wi’ merry dance in winter days, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| An’ we to share in common; | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| The gust o’ joy, the balm of woe, | 8 | ········ |
| The saul o’ life, the heaven below, | 8 | ·····/·· |
| Is rapture-giving woman. | 7 | ·/˘/˘/˘ |
| Ye surly sumphs, who hate the name, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Be mindfu’ o’ your mither; | 7 | ······· |
| She, honest woman, may think shame | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| That ye’re connected with her: | 7 | ··˘/˘·· |
| Ye’re wae men, ye’re nae men | 6 | ······ |
| That slight the lovely dears; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| To shame ye, disclaim ye, | 6 | ···˘/· |
| Ilk honest birkie swears. | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| For you, no bred to barn and byre, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Wha sweetly tune the Scottish lyre, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Thanks to you for your line: | 6 | ······ |
| The marled plaid ye kindly spare, | 8 | ··˘··/˘· |
| By me should gratefully be ware; | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| ’Twad please me to the nine. | 6 | ······ |
| I’d be mair vauntie o’ my hap, | 8 | ········ |
| Douce hingin owre my curple, | 7 | ······· |
| Than ony ermine ever lap, | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| Or proud imperial purple. | 8 | ··˘/˘˘/˘ |
| Farewell then, lang hale then, | 6 | ·/···· |
| An’ plenty be your fa; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| May losses and crosses | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| Ne’er at your hallan ca’! | 6 | ······ |
| R. Burns | 2 | ·· |
| March, | 1 | · |
| Whose is that noble, dauntless brow? | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| And whose that eye of fire? | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| And whose that generous princely mien, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| E’en rooted foes admire? | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| Stranger! to justly show that brow, | 8 | /˘·/˘··· |
| And mark that eye of fire, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Would take His hand, whose vernal tints | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| His other works admire. | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| Bright as a cloudless summer sun, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| With stately port he moves; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| His guardian Seraph eyes with awe | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| The noble Ward he loves. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Among the illustrious Scottish sons | 9 | ···˘/˘/˘· |
| That chief thou may’st discern, | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Mark Scotia’s fond-returning eye,— | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| It dwells upon Glencairn. | 6 | ······ |
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