Analysis of Address To The Tooth-Ache

Robert Burns 1759 (Alloway) – 1796 (Dumfries)



My curse upon your venom'd stang,
That shoots my tortur'd gums alang;
And thro' my lugs gies mony a twang,
     Wi' gnawing vengeance;
Tearing my nerves wi' bitter pang,
     Like racking engines!

When fevers burn, or ague freezes,
Rheumatics gnaw, or cholic squeezes;
Our neighbors' sympathy may ease us,
     Wi' pitying moan;
But thee -- thou hell o' a' diseases --
     They mock our groan!

Adown my beard the slavers trickle!
I throw the wee stools o'er the mickle,
As round the fire the giglets keckle,
     To see me loup;
While raving mad, I wish a heckle
     Were in their doup.

O' a' the num'rous human dools,
Ill har'sts, daft bargains, cutty-stools,
Or worthy friends rak'd i' the mools,
     Sad sight to see !
The tricks o' knaves, or fash o' fools,
     Thou bear'st the gree.

Where'er that place be priests ca' hell,
Whence a' the tones o' mis'ry yell,
And rankd plagues their numbers tell,
     In dreadfu' raw,
Thou, Tooth-ache, surely bear'st the bell
     Amang them a'!

O thou grim, mischief-making chiel,
That gars the notes of discord squeel,
Till daft mankiud aft dance a reel
     In gore a shoe-thick; --
Gie a' the foes o' Scotland's weal
     A towmond's Tooth-ache!


Scheme AAXBAX CCXDXD EEEFEF BGBXGH IIIHIX EEXXEX
Poetic Form
Metre 1101111 1111011 011111001 11010 10111101 11010 11011110 111110 1010100111 11001 111110010 11101 1110110 1101110010 11010011 1111 110111010 0011 1001101 11110101 11011101 1111 01111111 11101 10111111 1001111 01111101 011 111101101 110 11110101 11011101 1111101 01011 10011101 0111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,170
Words 203
Sentences 9
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6
Lines Amount 36
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 142
Words per stanza (avg) 34
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

1:04 min read
268

Robert Burns

Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist. more…

All Robert Burns poems | Robert Burns Books

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