Luath
They’re no sae wretched’s ane wad think.Tho’ constantly on poortith’s brink,They’re sae accustom’d wi’ the sight,The view o’t gives them little fright.
Then chance and fortune are sae guided,They’re aye in less or mair provided:An’ tho’ fatigued wi’ close employment,A blink o’ rest’s a sweet enjoyment.
The dearest comfort o’ their lives,Their grushie weans an’ faithfu’ wives;The prattling things are just their pride,That sweetens a’ their fire-side.
An’ whiles twalpennie worth o’ nappyCan mak the bodies unco happy:They lay aside their private cares,To mind the Kirk and State affairs;They’ll talk o’ patronage an’ priests,Wi’ kindling fury i’ their breasts,Or tell what new taxation’s comin,An’ ferlie at the folk in Lon’on.
As bleak-fac’d Hallowmass returns,They get the jovial, rantin kirns,When rural life, of ev’ry station,Unite in common recreation;Love blinks, Wit slaps, an’ social MirthForgets there’s Care upo’ the earth.
That merry day the year begins,They bar the door on frosty win’s;The nappy reeks wi’ mantling ream,An’ sheds a heart-inspiring steam;The luntin pipe, an’ sneeshin mill,Are handed round wi’ right guid will;The cantie auld folks crackin crouse,The young anes rantin thro’ the house—My heart has been sae fain to see them,That I for joy hae barkit wi’ them.
Still it’s owre true that ye hae said,Sic game is now owre aften play’d;There’s mony a creditable stockO’ decent, honest, fawsont folk,Are riven out baith root an’ branch,Some rascal’s pridefu’ greed to quench,Wha thinks to knit himsel the fasterIn favour wi’ some gentle master,Wha, aiblins, thrang a parliamentin,For Britain’s guid his saul indentin—
Words in this poem 18
- brink n.
- The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a precipice; a bank or edge, as of a river or pit; a verge; a border; as, the brink of a chasm. Also Fig. [Dan. brink edge, verge; akin to Sw. brink declivity, hill, Icel. brekka; cf. LG. brink a grassy hill, W. bryn hill, bryncyn hillock.]
- blink v. i.
- To wink; to twinkle with, or as with, the eye. [OE. blenken; akin to dan. blinke, Sw. blinka, G. blinken to shine, glance, wink, twinkle, D. blinken to shine; and prob. to D. blikken to glance, twinkle, G. bl]
- whiles conj.
- During the time that; while. Chaucer. Fuller.
- unco a.
- Unknown; strange, or foreign; unusual, or surprising; distant in manner; reserved. [Scot. The same word as E. uncouth.]
- kirk n.
- A church or the church, in the various senses of the word; esp., the Church of Scotland as distinguished from other reformed churches, or from the Roman Catholic Church. Jamieson. [Scot.; cf. Icel. kirkja, of Greek origin. See Church.]
- 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.]
- hallowmass n.
- The feast of All Saints, or Allhallows. [See Mass the eucharist.]
- jovial a.
- Of or pertaining to the god, or the planet, Jupiter. [F., fr. L. Jovialis pertaining to Jove. The planet Jupiter was thought to make those born under it joyful or jovial. See Jove.]
- mantling n.
- The representation of a mantle, or the drapery behind and around a coat of arms: -- called also lambrequin.
- ream n.
- Cream; also, the cream or froth on ale. [AS. reám, akin to G. rahm.]
- auld a.
- Old; as, Auld Reekie (old smoky), i. e., Edinburgh. [See Old.]
- folks 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.]
- crouse a.
- Brisk; lively; bold; self-complacent. Burns. [Etymol. uncertain.]
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- creditable a.
- Worthy of belief.
- greed n.
- An eager desire or longing; greediness; as, a greed of gain. [Akin to Goth. grdus hunger, Icel. graedhr. sq. root34. See Greedy.]
- favour n.
- Kind regard; propitious aspect; countenance; friendly disposition; kindness; good will. [Written also favour.]
- aiblins adv.
- Perhaps; possibly. Burns. [See Able.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Luath 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, Luath, in Poems and Songs (1786–1796), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1279, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/burns-poems/luath-2.html, id L03002.
Form and metre
Luath is 46 lines in 7 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 78% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.4 syllables. 11 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 9% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, 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 AABB thinkA · brinkA · sightB · frightB
- 2 AABB guidedA · providedA · employmentB · enjoymentB
- 3 AABB livesA · wivesA · prideB · sideB
- 4 AABB---- nappyA · happyA · caresB · affairsB · priests · breasts · comin · lon'on
- 5 AABBCC returnsA · kirnsA · stationB · recreationB · mirthC · earthC
- 6 AABBCCDDEE beginsA · win'sA · reamB · steamB · millC · willC · crouseD · houseD · themE · themE
- 7 ------AABB said · play'd · stock · folk · branch · quench · fasterA · masterA · parliamentinB · indentinB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| They’re no sae wretched’s ane wad think. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Tho’ constantly on poortith’s brink, | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| They’re sae accustom’d wi’ the sight, | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| The view o’t gives them little fright. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Then chance and fortune are sae guided, | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| They’re aye in less or mair provided: | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| An’ tho’ fatigued wi’ close employment, | 9 | ··˘/··˘/˘ |
| A blink o’ rest’s a sweet enjoyment. | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| The dearest comfort o’ their lives, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Their grushie weans an’ faithfu’ wives; | 8 | ········ |
| The prattling things are just their pride, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| That sweetens a’ their fire-side. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| An’ whiles twalpennie worth o’ nappy | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Can mak the bodies unco happy: | 9 | ···/˘/˘/˘ |
| They lay aside their private cares, | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| To mind the Kirk and State affairs; | 8 | ······˘/ |
| They’ll talk o’ patronage an’ priests, | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| Wi’ kindling fury i’ their breasts, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Or tell what new taxation’s comin, | 9 | ····˘/˘·· |
| An’ ferlie at the folk in Lon’on. | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| As bleak-fac’d Hallowmass returns, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| They get the jovial, rantin kirns, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| When rural life, of ev’ry station, | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| Unite in common recreation; | 9 | /··/˘·˘/˘ |
| Love blinks, Wit slaps, an’ social Mirth | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Forgets there’s Care upo’ the earth. | 8 | ˘/······ |
| That merry day the year begins, | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| They bar the door on frosty win’s; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The nappy reeks wi’ mantling ream, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| An’ sheds a heart-inspiring steam; | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| The luntin pipe, an’ sneeshin mill, | 8 | ········ |
| Are handed round wi’ right guid will; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The cantie auld folks crackin crouse, | 8 | ········ |
| The young anes rantin thro’ the house— | 8 | ········ |
| My heart has been sae fain to see them, | 9 | ········· |
| That I for joy hae barkit wi’ them. | 9 | ········· |
| Still it’s owre true that ye hae said, | 8 | ········ |
| Sic game is now owre aften play’d; | 8 | ········ |
| There’s mony a creditable stock | 8 | ·/˘·/˘˘· |
| O’ decent, honest, fawsont folk, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Are riven out baith root an’ branch, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Some rascal’s pridefu’ greed to quench, | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| Wha thinks to knit himsel the faster | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| In favour wi’ some gentle master, | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Wha, aiblins, thrang a parliamentin, | 9 | ········· |
| For Britain’s guid his saul indentin— | 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.