My Heart's In The Highlands

Robert Burns 1759 (Alloway) – 1796 (Dumfries)



Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North,
The birth-place of Valour, the country of Worth;
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,
The hills of the Highlands for ever I love.

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here;
My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer;
A-chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe,
My heart's in the Highlands wherever I go.

Farewell to the mountains high covered with snow;
Farewell to the straths and green valleys below;
Farewell to the forests and wild-hanging woods;
Farewell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods.

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here;
My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer;
A-chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe,
My heart's in the Highlands wherever I go.

About this poem

"My Heart's in the Highlands" is a poem by Robert Burns, a Scottish poet. In this piece, Burns expresses his yearning for the Scottish Highlands, portraying it as a place of natural beauty and emotional resonance. The poet reflects on the contrast between the tranquility of the highlands and the challenges of urban life. The poem is a lyrical exploration of the poet's connection to his homeland and the solace he finds in the untamed landscapes of the Highlands.  

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified by acronimous on November 12, 2023

45 sec read
4,505

Quick analysis:

Scheme xxxx ABCC ccxx ABCC
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 766
Words 147
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

Robert Burns

Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist. more…

All Robert Burns poems | Robert Burns Books

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Discuss the poem My Heart's In The Highlands with the community...

2 Comments
  • Drjoes86
    Good vivid descriptive words would like to understand the relationship with the high sky is this a complimentary of a personal homeland or a descriptive of an admiring place.
    LikeReply7 days ago
  • VandhukK33
    High right sky.
    LikeReply11 months ago

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