Analysis of Waly, Waly
Andrew Lang 1844 (Selkirk, Scottish Borders) – 1912 (Banchory)
O waly, waly, up the bank,
O waly, waly, down the brae.
And waly, waly, yon burn side,
Where I and my love wont to gae.
I leaned my back unto an aik,
An' thocht it was a trustie tree,
But first it bow'd and syne it brak,
Sae my true love did lichtly me.
O waly, waly, but love is bonnie
A little time while it is new,
But when it's auld it waxes cauld,
And fades away like morning dew.
O wherefore should I busk my head,
O wherefore should I kame my hair,
For my true love has me forsook,
And says he'll never love me mair.
Now Arthur's Seat shall be my bed,
The sheets shall ne'er be pressed by me,
St. Anton's well shall be my drink,
Since my true love has forsaken me.
Martinmas wind, when wilt thou blaw,
And shake the green leaves off the tree!
O gentle Death, when wilt thou come?
For of my life I am wearie!
'Tis not the frost that freezes fell,
Nor blawing snaw's inclemencie,
'Tis not sic cauld that makes me cry,
But my love's heart's grown cauld to me.
When we came in by Glasgow toun
We were a comely sicht to see;
My love was clad in the black velvet,
And I mysel in cramasie.
But had I wist before I kist
That love had been sae ill to win,
I'd locked my heart in a case of gold,
And pinned it wi' a siller pin.
Oh, oh! if my young babe were born,
And set upon the nurse's knee;
And I myself were dead and gane,
And the green grass growing over me!
Scheme | ABCDAEAE EFCFGHXH GEXEIEXB IJDEFEXJ XKXKXEFE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (28%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 111101 111101 011111 11011111 11111011 1111011 11110111 1111111 11111110 01011111 11111101 01011101 1111111 1111111 11111101 01110111 11011111 01111111 1111111 111110101 111111 01011101 11011111 1111111 11011101 1111 11111111 11111111 1110111 10010111 111100110 01101 11110111 11111111 111100111 01110101 11111101 01010101 0110101 001110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,330 |
Words | 282 |
Sentences | 16 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 203 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 56 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:27 min read
- 70 Views
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"Waly, Waly" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 16 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/2846/waly%2C-waly>.
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