Analysis of O Tibbie, I Hae Seen The Day
Robert Burns 1759 (Alloway) – 1796 (Dumfries)
Tune - "Invercauld's Reel, or Strathspey."
Choir. - O Tibbie, I hae seen the day,
Ye wadna been sae shy;
For laik o' gear ye lightly me,
But, trowth, I care na by.
Yestreen I met you on the moor,
Ye spak na, but gaed by like stour;
Ye geck at me because I'm poor,
But fient a hair care I.
O Tibbie, I hae seen the day, &c.
When coming hame on Sunday last,
Upon the road as I cam past,
Ye snufft and ga'e your head a cast-
But trowth I care't na by.
O Tibbie, I hae seen the day, &c.
I doubt na, lass, but ye may think,
Because ye hae the name o' clink,
That ye can please me at a wink,
Whene'er ye like to try.
O Tibbie, I hae seen the day, &c.
But sorrow tak' him that's sae mean,
Altho' his pouch o' coin were clean,
Wha follows ony saucy quean,
That looks sae proud and high.
O Tibbie, I hae seen the day, &c.
Altho' a lad were e'er sae smart,
If that he want the yellow dirt,
Ye'll cast your head anither airt,
And answer him fu' dry.
O Tibbie, I hae seen the day, &c.
But, if he hae the name o' gear,
Ye'll fasten to him like a brier,
Tho' hardly he, for sense or lear,
Be better than the kye.
O Tibbie, I hae seen the day, &c.
But, Tibbie, lass, tak' my advice:
Your daddie's gear maks you sae nice;
The deil a ane wad speir your price,
Were ye as poor as I.
O Tibbie, I hae seen the day, &c.
There lives a lass beside yon park,
I'd rather hae her in her sark,
Than you wi' a' your thousand mark;
That gars you look sae high.
O Tibbie, I hae seen the day, &c.
Scheme | x abcb ddxbC eeebC fffbC gggbC xxabC hxhxC iiibC jjjbC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 11111 1011011101 11111 11111101 111111 1111101 11111111 11110111 110111 110111011 1101111 01011111 110111101 1111111 110111011 11111111 01110111 11111101 11111 110111011 11011111 1111101 1101101 111101 110111011 10101011 11110101 111111 010111 110111011 11110111 110111010 11011111 110101 110111011 11011101 1111111 01011111 011111 110111011 11010111 11010001 11101101 111111 110111011 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,429 |
Words | 314 |
Sentences | 20 |
Stanzas | 10 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 |
Lines Amount | 45 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 105 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 31 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:37 min read
- 62 Views
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