Analysis of Anna, thy Charms

Robert Burns 1759 (Alloway) – 1796 (Dumfries)



Yestreen I had a pint o' wine,
    A place where body saw na;
Yestreen lay on this breast o' mine
    The gowden locks of Anna.

The hungry Jew in wilderness
    Rejoicing o'er his manna
Was naething to my hiney bliss
    Upon the lips of Anna.

Ye Monarchs take the East and West
    Frae Indus to Savannah:
Gie me within my straining grasp
    The melting form of Anna!

There I'll despise Imperial charms,
    An empress or sultana,
While dying raptures in her arms,
    I give an' take wi' Anna!

Awa, thou flaunting God of Day!
    Awa, thou pale Diana!
Ilk star, gae hide thy twinkling ray,
    When I'm to meet my Anna!

Come, in thy raven plumage, Night
    (Sun, Moon, and Stars, withdrawn a')
And bring an Angel-pen to write
    My transports with my Anna!

The Kirk an State may join, an tell
    To do sic things I maunna:
The Kirk an State may gae to Hell,
    And I'll gae to my Anna.
She is the sunshine o' my e'e,
    To live but her I canna:
Had I on earth but wishes three,
    The first should be my Anna.


Scheme AXAB XBXB XBXB CACB DBDB EBEB FAFBGAGB
Poetic Form
Metre 1110111 0111011 1111111 011110 01010100 01010110 1111101 0101110 1110101 1101010 11011101 0101110 110101001 11011 1101001 1111110 1110111 111010 111111001 1111110 10110101 1101010 01110111 1011110 01111111 111111 01111111 0111110 11011111 111011 11111101 0111110
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,026
Words 190
Sentences 11
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 8
Lines Amount 32
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 103
Words per stanza (avg) 27
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 12, 2023

58 sec read
101

Robert Burns

Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist. more…

All Robert Burns poems | Robert Burns Books

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