The Charms of Lovely Davies
O how shall I, unskilfu’, tryThe poet’s occupation?The tunefu’ powers, in happy hours,That whisper inspiration;Even they maun dare an effort mairThan aught they ever gave us,Ere they rehearse, in equal verse,The charms o’ lovely Davies.
Each eye it cheers when she appears,Like Phoebus in the morning,When past the shower, and every flowerThe garden is adorning:As the wretch looks o’er Siberia’s shore,When winter-bound the wave is;Sae droops our heart, when we maun partFrae charming, lovely Davies.
Her smile’s a gift frae ’boon the lift,That maks us mair than princes;A sceptred hand, a king’s command,Is in her darting glances;The man in arms ’gainst female charmsEven he her willing slave is,He hugs his chain, and owns the reignOf conquering, lovely Davies.
My Muse, to dream of such a theme,Her feeble powers surrender:The eagle’s gaze alone surveysThe sun’s meridian splendour.I wad in vain essay the strain,The deed too daring brave is;I’ll drap the lyre, and mute admireThe charms o’ lovely Davies.
What can a young lassie, what shall a young lassie,What can a young lassie do wi’ an auld man?Bad luck on the penny that tempted my minnieTo sell her puir Jenny for siller an’ lan’.Bad luck on the penny that tempted my minnieTo sell her puir Jenny for siller an’ lan’!
He’s always compleenin’ frae mornin’ to e’enin’,He hoasts and he hirples the weary day lang;He’s doylt and he’s dozin, his blude it is frozen,—O, dreary’s the night wi’ a crazy auld man!He’s doylt and he’s dozin, his blude it is frozen,O, dreary’s the night wi’ a crazy auld man.
He hums and he hankers, he frets and he cankers,I never can please him do a’ that I can;He’s peevish an’ jealous o’ a’ the young fellows,—O, dool on the day I met wi’ an auld man!He’s peevish an’ jealous o’ a’ the young fellows,O, dool on the day I met wi’ an auld man.
My auld auntie Katie upon me taks pity,I’ll do my endeavour to follow her plan;I’ll cross him an’ wrack him, until I heartbreak himAnd then his auld brass will buy me a new pan,I’ll cross him an’ wrack him, until I heartbreak him,And then his auld brass will buy me a new pan.
Words in this poem
- 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,]
- aught n.
- Property; possession. [AS. , fr. agan to own, p. p. ahte.]
- phoebus n.
- Apollo; the sun god.
- boon n.
- A prayer or petition. [OE. bone, boin, a petition, fr. Icel. b; akin to Sw. & Dan. b, AS. b, and perh. to E. ban; but influenced by F. bon good, fr. L. bonus. Ban, Bounty.]
- splendour n.
- Great brightness; brilliant luster; brilliancy; as, the splendor ot the sun. B. Jonson. [L. fr. splendere to shine: cf. F. splendeur.]
- 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.]
- lassie n.
- A young girl; a lass.
- auld a.
- Old; as, Auld Reekie (old smoky), i. e., Edinburgh. [See Old.]
- jenny n.
- A familiar or pet form of the proper name Jane.
- dreary a.
- Sorrowful; distressful. [OE. dreori, dreri, AS. dreórig, sad; akin to G. traurig, and prob. to AS. dreósan to fall, Goth. driusan. Cf. Dross, Drear, Drizzle, Drowse.]
- auntie n.
- A familiar name for an aunt. In the southern United States a familiar term applied to aged negro women.
- endeavour v. t.
- To exert physical or intellectual strength for the attainment of; to use efforts to effect; to strive to achieve or reach; to try; to attempt. [OE. endevor; pref. en- + dever, devoir, duty, F. devoir: cf. F. se mettre en devoir de faire quelque chose to try to do a thing, to go about it. See Devoir, Deb]
- wrack n.
- Wreck; ruin; destruction. [OE. wrak wreck. See Wreck.]
- heartbreak n.
- Crushing sorrow or grief; a yielding to such grief.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Charms of Lovely Davies 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, The Charms of Lovely Davies, in Poems and Songs (1786–1796), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1279, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/burns-poems/the-charms-of-lovely-davies.html, id L03231.
Form and metre
The Charms of Lovely Davies is 56 lines in 8 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 79%). 92% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.3 syllables. 22 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 20% 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 -A-A---- try · occupationA · hours · inspirationA · mair · us · verse · davies
- 2 -A-A-B-B appears · morningA · flower · adorningA · shore · isB · part · daviesB
- 3 -A-A-A-A lift · princesA · command · glancesA · charms · isA · reign · daviesA
- 4 -A-A-B-B theme · surrenderA · surveys · splendourA · strain · isB · admire · daviesB
- 5 -ABABA lassie · manA · minnieB · lanA · minnieB · lanA
- 6 --ABAB e'enin · lang · frozenA · manB · frozenA · manB
- 7 -ABABA cankers · canA · fellowsB · manA · fellowsB · manA
- 8 -ABABA pity · planA · himB · panA · himB · panA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| O how shall I, unskilfu’, try | 8 | ········ |
| The poet’s occupation? | 7 | ·/˘·˘/˘ |
| The tunefu’ powers, in happy hours, | 9 | ····/·/˘/ |
| That whisper inspiration; | 7 | ·/˘·˘/˘ |
| Even they maun dare an effort mair | 8 | /····/˘· |
| Than aught they ever gave us, | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| Ere they rehearse, in equal verse, | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| The charms o’ lovely Davies. | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| Each eye it cheers when she appears, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Like Phoebus in the morning, | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| When past the shower, and every flower | 9 | ···/·/˘/˘ |
| The garden is adorning: | 7 | ·/˘·˘/˘ |
| As the wretch looks o’er Siberia’s shore, | 9 | ·····˘/˘· |
| When winter-bound the wave is; | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| Sae droops our heart, when we maun part | 8 | ··/····· |
| Frae charming, lovely Davies. | 7 | ·/˘/˘/˘ |
| Her smile’s a gift frae ’boon the lift, | 8 | ········ |
| That maks us mair than princes; | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| A sceptred hand, a king’s command, | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| Is in her darting glances; | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| The man in arms ’gainst female charms | 8 | ·····/·· |
| Even he her willing slave is, | 8 | /˘··/˘·· |
| He hugs his chain, and owns the reign | 8 | ········ |
| Of conquering, lovely Davies. | 8 | ·/˘˘/˘/˘ |
| My Muse, to dream of such a theme, | 8 | ········ |
| Her feeble powers surrender: | 8 | ·/˘/˘˘/˘ |
| The eagle’s gaze alone surveys | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘/ |
| The sun’s meridian splendour. | 8 | ··˘/˘˘/˘ |
| I wad in vain essay the strain, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| The deed too daring brave is; | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| I’ll drap the lyre, and mute admire | 8 | ······˘/ |
| The charms o’ lovely Davies. | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| What can a young lassie, what shall a young lassie, | 12 | ····/˘····/˘ |
| What can a young lassie do wi’ an auld man? | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| Bad luck on the penny that tempted my minnie | 12 | ····/˘·/˘·/˘ |
| To sell her puir Jenny for siller an’ lan’. | 11 | ····/˘·/˘·· |
| Bad luck on the penny that tempted my minnie | 12 | ····/˘·/˘·/˘ |
| To sell her puir Jenny for siller an’ lan’! | 11 | ····/˘·/˘·· |
| He’s always compleenin’ frae mornin’ to e’enin’, | 12 | ·/·········· |
| He hoasts and he hirples the weary day lang; | 10 | ······/˘·· |
| He’s doylt and he’s dozin, his blude it is frozen,— | 12 | ··········/˘ |
| O, dreary’s the night wi’ a crazy auld man! | 11 | ·/˘····/˘·· |
| He’s doylt and he’s dozin, his blude it is frozen, | 12 | ··········/˘ |
| O, dreary’s the night wi’ a crazy auld man. | 11 | ·/˘····/˘·· |
| He hums and he hankers, he frets and he cankers, | 12 | ····/˘····/˘ |
| I never can please him do a’ that I can; | 10 | ·/········ |
| He’s peevish an’ jealous o’ a’ the young fellows,— | 12 | ·/˘·/˘····/˘ |
| O, dool on the day I met wi’ an auld man! | 11 | ··········· |
| He’s peevish an’ jealous o’ a’ the young fellows, | 12 | ·/˘·/˘····/˘ |
| O, dool on the day I met wi’ an auld man. | 11 | ··········· |
| My auld auntie Katie upon me taks pity, | 12 | ··/˘/˘····/˘ |
| I’ll do my endeavour to follow her plan; | 11 | ···˘/˘·/˘·· |
| I’ll cross him an’ wrack him, until I heartbreak him | 12 | ·········/·· |
| And then his auld brass will buy me a new pan, | 11 | ··········· |
| I’ll cross him an’ wrack him, until I heartbreak him, | 12 | ·········/·· |
| And then his auld brass will buy me a new pan. | 11 | ··········· |
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