Analysis of The Lass That Made the Bed to Me

Robert Burns 1759 (Alloway) – 1796 (Dumfries)



When Januar' wind was blawing cauld,
As to the north I took my way,
The mirksome night did me enfauld,
I knew na whare to lodge till day:
By my gude luck a maid I met,
Just in the middle o' my care,
And Kindly she did me invite
To walk into a chamber fair.

I bow'd fu' low unto this maid,
And thank'd her for her courtesie;
I bow'd fu' low unto this maid,
An bade her make a bed to me;
She made the bed baith large and wide,
Wi' twa white hands she spread it doun;
She put the cup to her rosy lips,
And drank - "Young man, now sleep ye soun'."

Chorus -  The bonie lass made the bed to me,
         The braw lass made the bed to me,
         I'll ne'er forget till the day I die,
         The lass that made the bed to me.

She snatch'd the candle in her hand,
And frae my chamber went wi' speed;
But I call'd her quickly back again,
To lay some mair below my head:
A cod she laid below my head,
And served me with due respect,
And, to salute her wi' a kis,
I put my arms about her neck.

"Haud aff your hands, young man! she said,
"And dinna sae uncivil be;
Gif ye hae ony luve for me,
O wrang ma my virginitie."
Her hair was like the links o' gowd,
Her teeth were like the ivorie,
Her cheeks like lilies dipt in wine,
The lass that made the bed to me.

Her bosom was the driven snaw,
Twa drifted heaps sae fair to see;
Her limbs the polish'd marble stane,
The lass that made the bed to me.
I kiss'd her o'er and o'er again,
And aye she wist na what to say:
I laid her 'tween me and the wa';
The lassie thocht na lang till day.

Upon the morrow when we raise,
I thank'd her for her courtesie;
But aye she blush'd and aye she sigh'd,
And said, "Alas, ye've ruin'd me."
I clasp'd her waist, and kiss'd her syne,
While the tear stood twinklin' in her e'e;
I said, "My lassie, dinna cry,
For ye aye shall make the bed to me."

Chorus: - ...

She took her mither's holland sheets,
An' made them a' in sarks to me;
Blythe and merry may she be,
The lass that made the bed to me.


Scheme abaaacac AdAeafdf eeaE aafaaadx aeeaacfE fdfEfbxa ddaefexe d deeE
Poetic Form
Metre 111111 11011111 011111 11111111 11110111 10010111 01011101 11010101 11111011 010101 11111011 11010111 11011101 11111111 110110101 01111111 1001110111 01110111 110110111 01110111 11010001 01110111 111010101 11110111 01110111 0111101 01010101 11110101 11111111 0110101 1111111 11111 01110111 010101 01110101 01110111 01010101 11011111 01010101 01110111 1101001001 01111111 11011001 01011111 01010111 110101 11110111 010111101 11010101 101110011 1111011 111110111 10 1101101 11100111 1010111 01110111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 2,025
Words 417
Sentences 18
Stanzas 9
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 4, 8, 8, 8, 8, 1, 4
Lines Amount 57
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 158
Words per stanza (avg) 45
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

2:10 min read
205

Robert Burns

Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist. more…

All Robert Burns poems | Robert Burns Books

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    Which of these famous poems is written in villanelle form?
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    B The Owl And The Pussycat
    C Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
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