Analysis of A Winter Night

Robert Burns 1759 (Alloway) – 1796 (Dumfries)



When biting Boreas, fell and doure,
Sharp shivers thro' the leafless bow'r;
When Phoebus gies a short-liv'd glow'r,
         Far south the lift,
Dim-dark'ning thro' the flaky show'r,
         Or whirling drift:

Ae night the storm the steeples rocked,
Poor Labour sweet in sleep was locked,
While burns, wi' snawy wreeths upchoked,
         Wild-eddying swirl,
Or thro' the mining outlet bocked,
         Down headlong hurl.

List'ning, the doors an' winnocks rattle,
I thought me on the ourie cattle,
Or silly sheep, wha bide this brattle
         O' winter war,
And thro' the drift, deep-lairing, sprattle,
         Beneath a scar.

Ilk happing bird, wee, helpless thing!
That, in the merry months o' spring,
Delighted me to hear thee sing,
         What comes o' thee?
Whare wilt thou cow'r thy chittering wing
         An' close thy e'e?

Ev'n you on murd'ring errands toil'd,
Lone from your savage homes exil'd,
The blood-stain'd roost, and sheep-cote spoil'd
         My heart forgets,
While pityless the tempest wild
         Sore on you beats.


Scheme AAABAB CCBDBD EEEADA FFFGFG HIHXIX
Poetic Form Burns stanza  (53%)
Tetractys  (33%)
Etheree  (20%)
Metre 1101101 110101011 110101111 1101 111101011 1101 11010101 1110111 111111 111 1101011 111 11011110 11110110 110111110 1101 0101111 0101 1111101 10010111 01011111 1111 11111111 11111 11111101 1111011 01110111 1101 110101 1111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,030
Words 159
Sentences 7
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 6
Lines Amount 30
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 147
Words per stanza (avg) 31
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

51 sec read
947

Robert Burns

Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist. more…

All Robert Burns poems | Robert Burns Books

11 fans

Discuss this Robert Burns poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "A Winter Night" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/30456/a-winter-night>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    20
    hours
    14
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    "It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea."
    A Edmund Spenser
    B W.B. Yeats
    C Shel Silverstein
    D Edgar Allan Poe