Analysis of The Rigs O' Barley

Robert Burns 1759 (Alloway) – 1796 (Dumfries)



It was upon a Lammas night,
    When corn rigs are bonnie,
Beneath the moon's unclouded light,
    I held away to Annie:
The time flew by wi' tentless heed
    Till 'tween the late and early,
Wi' sma' persuasion, she agreed
    To see me thro' the barley.
         Corn rigs, an' barley rigs,
              An' corn rigs are bonnie:
         I'll ne'er forget that happy night,
              Amang the rigs wi' Annie.

The sky was blue, the wind was still,
    The moon was shining clearly:
I set her down, wi' right good will,
    Amang the rigs o' barley:
I ken't her heart was a' my ain:
    I lov'd her most sincerely;
I kiss'd her owre and owre again,
    Amang the rigs o' barley.
         Corn rigs...

I lock'd her in my fond embrace;
    Her heart was beating rarely:
My blessings on that happy place,
    Amang the rigs o' barley!
But by the moon and stars so bright,
    That shone that hour so clearly!
She aye shall bless that happy night,
    Amang the rigs o' barley.
         Corn rigs...

I ha'e been blythe wi' comrades dear;
    I ha'e been merry drinkin';
I ha'e been joyfu' gatherin' gear;
    I ha'e been happy thinkin':
But a' the pleasures e'er I saw,
    Tho' three times doubled fairly,
That happy night was worth then a',
    Amang the rigs o' barley.
         Corn rigs...


Scheme ababcbcbdbab ebeBbbxBD fbfBabaBD gbgxxbxBD
Poetic Form
Metre 1101011 111110 010111 1101110 0111111 1101010 11010101 1111010 111101 111110 11011101 101110 01110111 0111010 11011111 101110 111011011 1101010 11010101 101110 11 11001101 0111010 11011101 101110 11010111 11110110 11111101 101110 11 11111111 1111101 1111111 11111010 100101011 1111010 11011110 101110 11
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,305
Words 221
Sentences 11
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 12, 9, 9, 9
Lines Amount 39
Letters per line (avg) 22
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 215
Words per stanza (avg) 55
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

1:09 min read
155

Robert Burns

Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist. more…

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