Afton Water

Robert Burns 1759 (Alloway) – 1796 (Dumfries)



1     Flow gently, sweet Afton, among thy green braes,
2     Flow gently, I'll sing thee a song in thy praise;
3     My Mary's asleep by thy murmuring stream,
4     Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dream.

5     Thou stock-dove, whose echo resounds thro' the glen,
6     Ye wild whistling blackbirds in yon thorny den,
7     Thou green-crested lapwing, thy screaming forbear,
8     I charge you disturb not my slumbering fair.

9     How lofty, sweet Afton, thy neighbouring hills,
10   Far mark'd with the courses of clear winding rills;
11   There daily I wander as noon rises high,
12   My flocks and my Mary's sweet cot in my eye.

13   How pleasant thy banks and green valleys below,
14   Where wild in the woodlands the primroses blow;
15   There oft, as mild Ev'ning sweeps over the lea,
16   The sweet-scented birk shades my Mary and me.

17   Thy crystal stream, Afton, how lovely it glides,
18   And winds by the cot where my Mary resides,
19   How wanton thy waters her snowy feet lave,
20   As gathering sweet flowrets she stems thy clear wave.

21   Flow gently, sweet Afton, among thy green braes,
22   Flow gently, sweet river, the theme of my lays;
23   My Mary's asleep by thy murmuring stream,
24   Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dream

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:08 min read
142

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABB CCDD AAEE FFGG AAHH AABB
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 1,254
Words 222
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Robert Burns

Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist. more…

All Robert Burns poems | Robert Burns Books

10 fans

Discuss the poem Afton Water with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Afton Water" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/30464/afton-water>.

    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!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    12
    hours
    37
    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?

    »
    To be, or not to be: that is the _______
    A question
    B choice
    C answer
    D doubt