The Inventory
Sir, as your mandate did request,I send you here a faithfu’ list,O’ gudes an’ gear, an’ a’ my graith,To which I’m clear to gi’e my aith.
Imprimis, then, for carriage cattle,I hae four brutes o’ gallant mettle,As ever drew afore a pettle.My hand-afore ’s a guid auld has-been,An’ wight an’ wilfu’ a’ his days been:My hand-ahin ’s a weel gaun fillie,That aft has borne me hame frae Killie.An’ your auld borough mony a timeIn days when riding was nae crime.But ance, when in my wooing prideI, like a blockhead, boost to ride,The wilfu’ creature sae I pat to,(Lord pardon a’ my sins, an’ that too!)I play’d my fillie sic a shavie,She’s a’ bedevil’d wi’ the spavie.My furr-ahin ’s a wordy beast,As e’er in tug or tow was traced.The fourth’s a Highland Donald hastle,A damn’d red-wud Kilburnie blastie!Foreby a cowt, o’ cowts the wale,As ever ran afore a tail:Gin he be spar’d to be a beast,He’ll draw me fifteen pund at least.Wheel-carriages I ha’e but few,Three carts, an’ twa are feckly new;An auld wheelbarrow, mair for token,Ae leg an’ baith the trams are broken;I made a poker o’ the spin’le,An’ my auld mither brunt the trin’le.
For men, I’ve three mischievous boys,Run-deils for ranting an’ for noise;A gaudsman ane, a thrasher t’ other:Wee Davock hauds the nowt in fother.I rule them as I ought, discreetly,An’ aften labour them completely;An’ aye on Sundays duly, nightly,I on the Questions targe them tightly;Till, faith! wee Davock’s grown sae gleg,Tho’ scarcely langer than your leg,He’ll screed you aff Effectual Calling,As fast as ony in the dwalling.
I’ve nane in female servant station,(Lord keep me aye frae a’ temptation!)I hae nae wife—and thay my bliss is,An’ ye have laid nae tax on misses;An’ then, if kirk folks dinna clutch me,I ken the deevils darena touch me.Wi’ weans I’m mair than weel contented,Heav’n sent me ane mae than I wanted!My sonsie, smirking, dear-bought Bess,She stares the daddy in her face,Enough of ought ye like but grace;But her, my bonie, sweet wee lady,I’ve paid enough for her already;An’ gin ye tax her or her mither,By the Lord, ye’se get them a’ thegither!
And now, remember, Mr. Aiken,Nae kind of licence out I’m takin:Frae this time forth, I do declareI’se ne’er ride horse nor hizzie mair;Thro’ dirt and dub for life I’ll paidle,Ere I sae dear pay for a saddle;My travel a’ on foot I’ll shank it,I’ve sturdy bearers, Gude the thankit!The kirk and you may tak you that,It puts but little in your pat;Sae dinna put me in your beuk,Nor for my ten white shillings leuk.
This list, wi’ my ain hand I wrote it,The day and date as under noted;Then know all ye whom it concerns,Subscripsi huic,
Robert Burns.Mossgiel, February 22, 1786.
Words in this poem 23
- graith n.
- Furniture; apparatus or accouterments for work, traveling, war, etc. Jamieson.
- imprimis adv.
- In the first place; first in order. [L., for in primis among the first, chiefly; in in + primus first.]
- afore prep.
- Before (in all its senses).
- auld a.
- Old; as, Auld Reekie (old smoky), i. e., Edinburgh. [See Old.]
- wight n.
- A whit; a bit; a jot. [OE. wight, wiht, a wight, a whit, AS. wiht, wuht, a creature, a thing; skin to D. wicht a child, OS. & OHG. wiht a creature, thing, G. wicht a creature, Icel. v]
- 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.]
- boost v. t.
- To lift or push from behind (one who is endeavoring to climb); to push up; hence, to assist in overcoming obstacles, or in making advancement. [Cf. Boast, v. i.]
- furr n.
- The short, fine, soft hair of certain animals, growing thick on the skin, and distinguished from the hair, which is longer and coarser. [OE. furre, OF. forre, fuerre, sheatth, case, of German origin; cf. OHG. fuotar lining, case, G. futter; akin to Icel. f lining, Goth. f, scabbard; cf. Skr. p ve]
- damn v. t.
- To condemn; to declare guilty; to doom; to adjudge to punishment; to sentence; to censhure. [OE. damnen dap), OF. damner, dampner, F. damner, fr. L. damnare, damnatum, to condemn, fr. damnum damage, a fine, penalty. Cf. Condemn, Damage.]
- foreby prep.
- Near; hard by; along; past. See Forby. [Fore + by.]
- wheelbarrow n.
- A light vehicle for conveying small loads. It has two handles and one wheel, and is rolled by a single person.
- brunt n.
- The heat, or utmost violence, of an onset; the strength or greatest fury of any contention; as, the brunt of a battle. [OE. brunt, bront, fr. Icel. bruna to rush; cf. Icel. brenna to burn. Cf. Burn, v. t.]
- thrasher n.
- One who, or that which, thrashes grain; a thrashing machine.
- fother n.
- A wagonload; a load of any sort. [OE. fother, foder, AS. fo a cartload; akin to G. fuder a cartload, a unit of measure, OHG. fuodar, D. voeder, and perh. to E. fathom, or cf. Skr. patra vessel, ]
- ought p. p.
- Was or were under obligation to pay; owed. [Orig. the preterit of the verb to owe. OE. oughte, aughte, ahte, AS. ahte. sq. root110. See Owe.]
- nightly a.
- Of or pertaining to the night, or to every night; happening or done by night, or every night; as, nightly shades; he kept nightly vigils.
- targe n.
- A shield or target. [F. Cf. Target.]
- gleg a.
- Quick of perception; alert; sharp. Jamieson. [Icel. glöggr.]
- screed n.
- A breach or rent; a breaking forth into a loud, shrill sound; as, martial screeds. [See 1st Screed. For sense 2 cf. also Gael. sgread an outcry.]
- 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.]
- 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.]
- daddy n.
- Diminutive of Dad.
- wrote v. i.
- To root with the snout. See 1st Root. [OE. wroten. See 1st Root.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Inventory 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 Inventory, in Poems and Songs (1786–1796), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1279, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/burns-poems/the-inventory.html, id L03015.
Form and metre
The Inventory is 78 lines in 7 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 67% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.5 syllables. 22 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending.
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 --AA request · list · graithA · aithA
- 2 -AABBCCDDEEFFGGH--GIIHHFFJJKK cattle · mettleA · pettleA · beenB · beenB · fillieC · killieC · timeD · crimeD · prideE · rideE · toF · tooF · shavieG · spavieG · beastH · traced · hastle · blastieG · waleI · tailI · beastH · leastH · fewF · newF · tokenJ · brokenJ · spin'leK · trin'leK
- 3 AABBCCDDEEFF boysA · noiseA · otherB · fotherB · discreetlyC · completelyC · nightlyD · tightlyD · glegE · legE · callingF · dwallingF
- 4 AABBCC---DD--EE stationA · temptationA · isB · missesB · meC · meC · contented · wanted · bess · faceD · graceD · lady · already · mitherE · thegitherE
- 5 --AA--BBCCDD aiken · takin · declareA · mairA · paidle · saddle · itB · thankitB · thatC · patC · beukD · leukD
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sir, as your mandate did request, | 8 | ···/··˘/ |
| I send you here a faithfu’ list, | 8 | ········ |
| O’ gudes an’ gear, an’ a’ my graith, | 8 | ········ |
| To which I’m clear to gi’e my aith. | 8 | ········ |
| Imprimis, then, for carriage cattle, | 9 | ˘/˘··/˘/˘ |
| I hae four brutes o’ gallant mettle, | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| As ever drew afore a pettle. | 8 | ·/·˘/··· |
| My hand-afore ’s a guid auld has-been, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| An’ wight an’ wilfu’ a’ his days been: | 9 | ········· |
| My hand-ahin ’s a weel gaun fillie, | 10 | ·········· |
| That aft has borne me hame frae Killie. | 9 | ········· |
| An’ your auld borough mony a time | 9 | ···/·/˘·· |
| In days when riding was nae crime. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| But ance, when in my wooing pride | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| I, like a blockhead, boost to ride, | 8 | ···/···· |
| The wilfu’ creature sae I pat to, | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| (Lord pardon a’ my sins, an’ that too!) | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| I play’d my fillie sic a shavie, | 9 | ········· |
| She’s a’ bedevil’d wi’ the spavie. | 9 | ··˘/˘···· |
| My furr-ahin ’s a wordy beast, | 9 | ······/˘· |
| As e’er in tug or tow was traced. | 8 | ········ |
| The fourth’s a Highland Donald hastle, | 9 | ···/˘/˘·· |
| A damn’d red-wud Kilburnie blastie! | 9 | ········· |
| Foreby a cowt, o’ cowts the wale, | 8 | ˘/······ |
| As ever ran afore a tail: | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| Gin he be spar’d to be a beast, | 8 | ········ |
| He’ll draw me fifteen pund at least. | 8 | ···˘/··· |
| Wheel-carriages I ha’e but few, | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| Three carts, an’ twa are feckly new; | 8 | ········ |
| An auld wheelbarrow, mair for token, | 9 | ··/·˘··/˘ |
| Ae leg an’ baith the trams are broken; | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| I made a poker o’ the spin’le, | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| An’ my auld mither brunt the trin’le. | 9 | ········· |
| For men, I’ve three mischievous boys, | 8 | ····/˘˘· |
| Run-deils for ranting an’ for noise; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| A gaudsman ane, a thrasher t’ other: | 10 | ·····/˘·/˘ |
| Wee Davock hauds the nowt in fother. | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| I rule them as I ought, discreetly, | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| An’ aften labour them completely; | 9 | ···/··˘/˘ |
| An’ aye on Sundays duly, nightly, | 9 | ···/·/˘/˘ |
| I on the Questions targe them tightly; | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| Till, faith! wee Davock’s grown sae gleg, | 8 | ········ |
| Tho’ scarcely langer than your leg, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| He’ll screed you aff Effectual Calling, | 10 | ····˘/˘˘/˘ |
| As fast as ony in the dwalling. | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| I’ve nane in female servant station, | 9 | ···/·/˘/˘ |
| (Lord keep me aye frae a’ temptation!) | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| I hae nae wife—and thay my bliss is, | 9 | ········· |
| An’ ye have laid nae tax on misses; | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| An’ then, if kirk folks dinna clutch me, | 9 | ········· |
| I ken the deevils darena touch me. | 10 | ·········· |
| Wi’ weans I’m mair than weel contented, | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| Heav’n sent me ane mae than I wanted! | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| My sonsie, smirking, dear-bought Bess, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| She stares the daddy in her face, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Enough of ought ye like but grace; | 8 | ˘/······ |
| But her, my bonie, sweet wee lady, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| I’ve paid enough for her already; | 9 | ··˘/··˘/˘ |
| An’ gin ye tax her or her mither, | 9 | ········· |
| By the Lord, ye’se get them a’ thegither! | 10 | ·········· |
| And now, remember, Mr. Aiken, | 9 | ··˘/˘/˘/˘ |
| Nae kind of licence out I’m takin: | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Frae this time forth, I do declare | 8 | ······˘/ |
| I’se ne’er ride horse nor hizzie mair; | 8 | ········ |
| Thro’ dirt and dub for life I’ll paidle, | 9 | ········· |
| Ere I sae dear pay for a saddle; | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| My travel a’ on foot I’ll shank it, | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| I’ve sturdy bearers, Gude the thankit! | 9 | ·/˘/˘···· |
| The kirk and you may tak you that, | 8 | ········ |
| It puts but little in your pat; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Sae dinna put me in your beuk, | 8 | ········ |
| Nor for my ten white shillings leuk. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| This list, wi’ my ain hand I wrote it, | 9 | ········· |
| The day and date as under noted; | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Then know all ye whom it concerns, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Subscripsi huic, | 4 | ···· |
| Robert Burns. | 3 | /˘· |
| Mossgiel, February 22, 1786. | 6 | ··/˘·˘ |
Notes from the edition 1
Notes from The Complete Works of Robert Burns (Project Gutenberg #1279).
- Stanza 2, line 7 Kilmarnock.—R. B.
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