Analysis of The Farewell

Robert Burns 1759 (Alloway) – 1796 (Dumfries)



IT was a' for our rightfu' King
   We left fair Scotland's strand;
It was a' for our rightfu' King
   We e'er saw Irish land,
   My dear--
   We e'er saw Irish land.

Now a' is done that men can do,
   And a' is done in vain;
My love and native land, farewell,
   For I maun cross the main,
   My dear--
   For I maun cross the main.

He turn'd him right and round about
   Upon the Irish shore;
And gae his bridle-reins a shake,
   With, Adieu for evermore,
   My dear--
   With, Adieu for evermore!

The sodger frae the wars returns,
   The sailor frae the main;
But I hae parted frae my love,
   Never to meet again,
   My dear--
   Never to meet again.

When day is gane, and night is come,
   And a' folk bound to sleep,
I think on him that 's far awa',
   The lee-lang night, and weep,
   My dear--
   The lee-lang night, and weep.


Scheme AbABCB xdxDCD xexECE xdxFCF xgxGCG
Poetic Form Etheree  (37%)
Tetractys  (27%)
Metre 11011011 111101 11011011 1101101 11 1101101 10111111 001101 1101011 111101 11 111101 11110101 010101 01110101 101110 11 101110 0110101 010101 11110111 101101 11 101101 11110111 001111 11111111 011101 11 011101
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 841
Words 156
Sentences 6
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 6
Lines Amount 30
Letters per line (avg) 19
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 113
Words per stanza (avg) 31
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 24, 2023

48 sec read
209

Robert Burns

Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist. more…

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