Willie and Helen
Hew Ainslie 1792 ( Dailly, Ayrshire) – 1878 (Louisville, Kentucky)
'WHAREFORE sou'd ye talk o' love,
Unless it be to pain us?
Wharefore sou'd ye talk o' love
Whan ye say the sea maun twain us?'
'It 's no because my love is light,
Nor for your angry deddy;
It 's a' to buy ye pearlins bright,
An' to busk ye like a leddy.'
'O Willy, I can caird an' spin,
Se ne'er can want for cleedin';
An' gin I hae my Willy's heart,
I hae a' the pearls I'm heedin'.
'Will it be time to praise this cheek
Whan years an' tears has blench'd it?
Will it be time to talk o' love
Whan cauld an' care has quench'd it?'
He's laid ae han' about her waist--
The ither 's held to heaven;
An' his luik was like the luik o' man
Wha's heart in twa is riven.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 12, 2023
- 45 sec read
- 97 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AbAb cccx ddxd xeae xfxf |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 699 |
Words | 144 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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"Willie and Helen" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/19157/willie-and-helen>.
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