Theniel Menzies’ Bonie Mary
In comin by the brig o’ Dye,At Darlet we a blink did tarry;As day was dawnin in the sky,We drank a health to bonie Mary.
Chorus.—Theniel Menzies’ bonie Mary,Theniel Menzies’ bonie Mary,Charlie Grigor tint his plaidie,Kissin’ Theniel’s bonie Mary.
Her een sae bright, her brow sae white,Her haffet locks as brown’s a berry;And aye they dimpl’t wi’ a smile,The rosy cheeks o’ bonie Mary.Theniel Menzies’ bonie Mary, &c.
We lap a’ danc’d the lee-lang day,Till piper lads were wae and weary;But Charlie gat the spring to payFor kissin Theniel’s bonie Mary.Theniel Menzies’ bonie Mary, &c.
Words in this poem
- 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]
- drank n.
- Wild oats, or darnel grass. See Drake a plant. [Cf. 3d Drake.]
- charlie n.
- A familiar nickname or substitute for Charles.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Theniel Menzies’ Bonie Mary 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, Theniel Menzies’ Bonie Mary, in Poems and Songs (1786–1796), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1279, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/burns-poems/theniel-menzies-bonie-mary.html, id L03101.
Form and metre
Theniel Menzies’ Bonie Mary is 18 lines in 4 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%). 100% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.5 syllables. 9 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 6% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
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 ABAB dyeA · tarryB · skyA · maryB
- 2 AA-A maryA · maryA · plaidie · maryA
- 3 -A-A- white · berryA · smile · maryA · —
- 4 A-A-- dayA · weary · payA · mary · —
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 pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| In comin by the brig o’ Dye, | 8 | ········ |
| At Darlet we a blink did tarry; | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| As day was dawnin in the sky, | 8 | ········ |
| We drank a health to bonie Mary. | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Chorus.—Theniel Menzies’ bonie Mary, | 10 | /˘··/˘··/˘ |
| Theniel Menzies’ bonie Mary, | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| Charlie Grigor tint his plaidie, | 8 | /˘······ |
| Kissin’ Theniel’s bonie Mary. | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Her een sae bright, her brow sae white, | 8 | ········ |
| Her haffet locks as brown’s a berry; | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| And aye they dimpl’t wi’ a smile, | 7 | ······· |
| The rosy cheeks o’ bonie Mary. | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| Theniel Menzies’ bonie Mary, &c. | 9 | ··/˘··/˘· |
| We lap a’ danc’d the lee-lang day, | 8 | ········ |
| Till piper lads were wae and weary; | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| But Charlie gat the spring to pay | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| For kissin Theniel’s bonie Mary. | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Theniel Menzies’ bonie Mary, &c. | 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.