Analysis of There's Nae Luck about the House
William Mickle 1735 (Langholm, Dumfriesshire.) – 1788 (Forest Hill)
And are ye sure the news is true?
And are ye sure he's weel?
Is this a time to think o' wark?
Mak haste, lay by your wheel;
Is this the time to spin a thread
When Colin's at the door?
Reach me my cloak, I'll to the quay
And see him come ashore.
For there's nae luck about the house,
There's nae luck at a',
There's little pleasure in the house
When our gudeman's awa.
And gie to me my bigonet,
My bishop's satin gown;
For I maun tell the bailie's wife
That Colin's come to town.
My Turkey slippers maun gae on,
My stockings pearly blue;
It's a' to pleasure my gudeman,
For he's baith leel and true.
For there's nae luck about the house,
There's nae luck at a',
There's little pleasure in the house
When our gudeman's awa.
Rise, lass, and mak a clean fire side,
Put on the muckle pot,
Gie little Kate her button gown,
And Jock his Sunday coat;
And mak their shoon as black as slaes,
Their hose as white as snaw,
It's a' to please my ain gudeman,
For he's been lang awa.
For there's nae luck about the house,
There's nae luck at a',
There's little pleasure in the house
When our gudeman's awa.
There's twa fat hens upo' the bauk,
Been fed this month and mair,
Mak haste and thraw their necks about,
That Colin weel may fare;
And mak the table neat and clean,
Gar ilka thing look braw,
For wha can tell how Colin fared
When he was far awa?
Ah, there's nae luck about the house,
There's nae luck at a',
There's little pleasure in the house
When our gudeman's awa.
Sae true his heart, sae smooth his speech,
His breath like cauler air,
His very foot has music in't
As he comes up the stair!
And will I see his face again,
And will I hear him speak?
I'm downright dizzy wi' the thought,
In troth I'm like to greet.
For there's nae luck about the house,
There's nae luck at a',
There's little pleasure in the house
When our gudeman's awa.
If Colin's weel, and weel content,
I hae nae mair to crave--
And gin I live to keep him sae,
I'm blest aboon the lave.
And will I see his face again,
And will I hear him speak?
I'm downright dizzy wi' the thought,
In troth I'm like to greet.
For there's nae luck about the house,
There's nae luck at a',
There's little pleasure in the house
When our gudeman's awa.
Scheme | abcbdefeGHGI djxjxajaGHGI xxjxgjjiGHGI ckxkxaxigHGI xkfkLMNOGHGI xpgpLMNOGHGI |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 01110111 011111 11011111 111111 11011101 11101 11111101 011101 11110101 11110 11010001 11011 011111 110101 1111011 11111 11010111 110101 1011011 111101 11110101 11110 11010001 11011 110101101 110101 11010101 01111 01111111 111111 1011111 11111 11110101 11110 11010001 11011 1111101 111101 11011101 110111 01010101 110111 11111101 11111 11110101 11110 11010001 11011 11111111 11111 110111001 111101 01111101 011111 1110101 011111 11110101 11110 11010001 11011 1110110 111111 01111111 11101 01111101 011111 1110101 011111 11110101 11110 11010001 11011 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,133 |
Words | 431 |
Sentences | 22 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12 |
Lines Amount | 72 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 274 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 72 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 10, 2023
- 2:22 min read
- 103 Views
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"There's Nae Luck about the House" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/41082/there%27s-nae-luck-about-the-house>.
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