Bailie Bruce
Ye’d winder, when creation’s planSeems sae acceptable to man,And the Creator, in His power,Made brute an’ bird, an’ fruit an’ flower;When e’en the wasps that bigg their bikeAn’ clocks an’ golachs, an’ the likeO’ a’ yon vairmin has their use,What gar’d Him fashion Bailie Bruce?
He couldna thole to see a weanWheepin’ his pearie on the green,Nae sweethe’rts coorted but he sawAuld Homie’s tail ahint the twa.In godly wrath he aye wad showHis hate o’ sinfu’ men; but tho’The wicked fled afore his faceThe guid aye passed them i’ the race.
Oot frae the foremaist seat at kirkHe roared the psalms like ony stirk,For gripp’d was he by sic a zealAs nane but the elect micht feel;An’ when the kirk-door plate was set,Wi’ looks o’ pride ye’d ne’er forget,When puir fowk laid their pennies doonHe’d gi’e his Maker half a croon.
Weel, whiles oor ancient customs changeAn’ fowk accep’ what’s new an’ strange;Oor decent plate awa was laidFor bonny baggies--English made.Sawbath cam’ roond; the kirk was in;The Bailie sat an’ glow’red on sin;The Elder brocht wi’ reverent feetHis baggie to the foremaist seat.
In drapp’d the money; Bailie BruceWi’ open hand an’ purse-strings looseAnd e’en upliftit, kept his place;The bag passed on its road o’ grace.Weel was’t he couldna see the smileThat a’ yon kirk-fu’ had the whileNor yet the Elder’s twisted mou’That wrocht him a’ the journey through!
For oh! ahint the Bailie’s backWas done a deed o’ shame to mak’His righteous he’rt wi’ anger swellNane gie’d a bodle but himsel’!An’ at the coontin’, plain to see,The baggie held but ae bawbee!
His health noo gars him keep the hoose;Losh-aye! what ails him, Bailie Bruce?
Words in this poem 15
- winder v. i.
- To wither; to fail. Holland.
- bigg n.
- Barley, especially the hardy four-rowed kind. [OE. bif, bigge; akin to Icel. bygg, Dan. byg, Sw. bjugg.]
- bike n.
- A nest of wild bees, wasps, or ants; a swarm. Sir W. [Ethymol. unknown.]
- bailie n.
- An officer in Scotland, whose office formerly corresponded to that of sheriff, but now corresponds to that of an English alderman. [See Bailiff.]
- thole v. t.
- To bear; to endure; to undergo. Gower. [OE. þolen, þolien, AS. þolian; akin to OS. tholon, OHG. dolen, G. geduld patience, dulden to endure, Icel. þola, Sw. tåla, Dan. taale, Goth. þulan, L. tolerate,]
- auld a.
- Old; as, Auld Reekie (old smoky), i. e., Edinburgh. [See Old.]
- afore prep.
- Before (in all its senses).
- 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.]
- stirk n.
- A young bullock or heifer. [AS. stric, from steór a steer. See Steer a young ox.]
- croon v. i.
- To make a continuous hollow moan, as cattle do when in pain.
- 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.]
- whiles conj.
- During the time that; while. Chaucer. Fuller.
- bonny a.
- Handsome; beautiful; pretty; attractively lively and graceful. [OE. boni, prob. fr. F. bon, fem. bonne, good, fr. L. bonus good. See Bounty, and cf. Bonus, Boon.]
- bodle n.
- A small Scotch coin worth about one sixth of an English penny.
- bawbee n.
- A halfpenny. [Spelt also baubee.] [Perh. corrupt. fr. halfpenny.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Bailie Bruce is in the public domain. This text is taken from Bonnie Joann, and other poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #69484; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Violet Jacob, Bailie Bruce, in Bonnie Joann, and Other Poems (1921), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #69484, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/jacob-bonnie-joann/bailie-bruce.html, id L21943.
Form and metre
Bailie Bruce is 48 lines in 7 stanzas. The rhyme scheme is AABBCCDD, complete in 4 of its 7 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%).
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 AABBCCDD planA · manA · powerB · flowerB · bikeC · likeC · useD · bruceD
- 2 AA--BBCC weanA · greenA · saw · twa · showB · thoB · faceC · raceC
- 3 AABBCCDD kirkA · stirkA · zealB · feelB · setC · forgetC · doonD · croonD
- 4 AABBCCDD changeA · strangeA · laidB · madeB · inC · sinC · feetD · seatD
- 5 AABBCCDD bruceA · looseA · placeB · graceB · smileC · whileC · mouD · throughD
- 6 AA--BB backA · makA · swell · himsel · seeB · bawbeeB
- 7 AA hooseA · bruceA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ye’d winder, when creation’s plan | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| Seems sae acceptable to man, | 8 | ··˘/˘˘·· |
| And the Creator, in His power, | 9 | ··˘/˘··/˘ |
| Made brute an’ bird, an’ fruit an’ flower; | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| When e’en the wasps that bigg their bike | 8 | ········ |
| An’ clocks an’ golachs, an’ the like | 8 | ········ |
| O’ a’ yon vairmin has their use, | 8 | ········ |
| What gar’d Him fashion Bailie Bruce? | 9 | ·/˘·/˘/˘· |
| He couldna thole to see a wean | 8 | ········ |
| Wheepin’ his pearie on the green, | 8 | ········ |
| Nae sweethe’rts coorted but he saw | 8 | ········ |
| Auld Homie’s tail ahint the twa. | 7 | ······· |
| In godly wrath he aye wad show | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| His hate o’ sinfu’ men; but tho’ | 8 | ········ |
| The wicked fled afore his face | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| The guid aye passed them i’ the race. | 8 | ········ |
| Oot frae the foremaist seat at kirk | 9 | ········· |
| He roared the psalms like ony stirk, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| For gripp’d was he by sic a zeal | 8 | ········ |
| As nane but the elect micht feel; | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| An’ when the kirk-door plate was set, | 8 | ········ |
| Wi’ looks o’ pride ye’d ne’er forget, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| When puir fowk laid their pennies doon | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| He’d gi’e his Maker half a croon. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Weel, whiles oor ancient customs change | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| An’ fowk accep’ what’s new an’ strange; | 8 | ········ |
| Oor decent plate awa was laid | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| For bonny baggies--English made. | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| Sawbath cam’ roond; the kirk was in; | 8 | ········ |
| The Bailie sat an’ glow’red on sin; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The Elder brocht wi’ reverent feet | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| His baggie to the foremaist seat. | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| In drapp’d the money; Bailie Bruce | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Wi’ open hand an’ purse-strings loose | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And e’en upliftit, kept his place; | 8 | ········ |
| The bag passed on its road o’ grace. | 8 | ········ |
| Weel was’t he couldna see the smile | 8 | ········ |
| That a’ yon kirk-fu’ had the while | 8 | ········ |
| Nor yet the Elder’s twisted mou’ | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| That wrocht him a’ the journey through! | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| For oh! ahint the Bailie’s back | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Was done a deed o’ shame to mak’ | 8 | ········ |
| His righteous he’rt wi’ anger swell | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Nane gie’d a bodle but himsel’! | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| An’ at the coontin’, plain to see, | 8 | ········ |
| The baggie held but ae bawbee! | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| His health noo gars him keep the hoose; | 8 | ········ |
| Losh-aye! what ails him, Bailie Bruce? | 8 | ·····/˘· |
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