The Battle Of Sherramuir

Robert Burns 1759 (Alloway) – 1796 (Dumfries)



"O cam ye here the fight to shun,
    Or herd the sheep wi' me, man?
Or were ye at the Sherra-moor,
    Or did the battle see, man?"
"I saw the battle, sair and teugh
    And reekin-red ran monie a sheugh;
My heart, for fear, gae sough for sough,
    To hear the thuds, and see the cluds
O clans frae woods in tartan duds
    Wha glaum'd at icingdoms three, man.

"The red-coat lads wi' black cockauds,
    To meet them were na slaw, man;
They rush'd and push'd, and bluid outgush'd,
    And monie a bouk did fa', man!
The great Argyle led on his files,
    I wat they glanc'd for twenty miles;
They hough'd the clans like nine-pin kyles,
    They hack'd and hash'd, while braid-swords clashed,
And thro they dash'd, and hew'd and smash'd,
    Till fey men died awa, man.

"But had ye seen the philibegs,
    And skyrin tartan trews, man;
When in the teeth they daur'd our Whigs,
    And Covenant trueblues, man!
In lines extended lang and large,
    When baig'nets o'erpower'd the targe,
And thousands hasten'd to the charge,
    Wi' Highland wrath and frac the sheath
Drew blades o' death, till, out o' breath.
    They fled like frightened dows, man!"

"O, how Deil, Tam, can that be true?
    The chase gaed frae the north, man!
I saw mysel, they did pursue
    The horseman back to Forth, man:
And at Dunblane, in my ain sight,
    They took the brig wi a' their might
And straught to Stirling wing'd their flight;
    But, cursed lot! the gates were shut,
And monie a huntit poor red-coat,
    For fear amaist did swarf, man!"

My sister Kate came up the gate
    Wi' crowdie unto me, man:
She swoor she saw some rebels run
    To Perth and to Dundee, man!
Their left-hand general had nae skill;
    The Angus lads had nae good will
That day their neebors' bluid to spill;
    For fear, by foes, that they should lose
Their cogs o brose; they scar'd at blows,
    And hameward fast did flee, man.

"They've lost some gallant gentlemen,
    Amang the Highland clans, man!
I fear my Lord Panmure is slain,
    Or in his en'mies' hands, man.
Now wad ye sing this double flight,
    Some fell for wrang, and some for right,
But monie bade the world guid-night;
    Say, pell and mell, wi' muskets' knell
How Tories feil, and Whigs to Hell
    Flew off in frightened bands, man!"

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 14, 2023

2:06 min read
198

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABXBCXCDDB DBEBDDDEEB DBDBFFFXXB XBDBEEEEEB EBABGGGDDB XBXBEEEHHB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 2,283
Words 404
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Robert Burns

Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist. more…

All Robert Burns poems | Robert Burns Books

11 fans

Discuss the poem The Battle Of Sherramuir 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

    "The Battle Of Sherramuir" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/30566/the-battle-of-sherramuir>.

    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
    2
    hours
    21
    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?

    »
    Shall I compare thee to a summer's _______?
    A night
    B dream
    C ray
    D day