Analysis of M'Pherson's Rant
Robert Burns 1759 (Alloway) – 1796 (Dumfries)
Farewell, ye dungeons dark and strong,
The wretch's destinie!
M'Pherson's time will not be long
On yonder gallows-tree.
Chorus:
Sae rantingly, sae wantonly,
Sae dauntingly gaed he;
He play'd a spring , and danc'd it round,
Below the gallows-tree.
O, what is death but parting breath?
On many a bloody plain
I've dared his face, and in this place
I scorn him yet again!
Sae rantingly, &c.
Untie these bands from off my hands,
And bring me to my sword;
And there's no a man in all Scotland
But I'll brave him at a word.
Sae rantingly, &c.
I've liv'd a life of sturt and strife;
I die by treacherie:
It burns my heart I must depart,
And not avenged be.
Sae rantingly, &c.
Now farewell light, thou sunshine bright,
And all beneath the sky!
May coward shame distain his name,
The wretch that dares not die!
Sae rantingly, &c.
Scheme | abac xccxc xbxbC xxxxC xcxcC xdxdC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1110101 011 111111 110101 10 111100 1111 11010111 010101 11111101 1100101 11110011 111101 111 01111111 011111 011010110 1111101 111 11011101 1111 11111101 01011 111 111111 010101 1101111 011111 111 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 800 |
Words | 151 |
Sentences | 14 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 |
Lines Amount | 29 |
Letters per line (avg) | 21 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 103 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 25 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 21, 2023
- 48 sec read
- 312 Views
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"M'Pherson's Rant" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/30527/m%27pherson%27s-rant>.
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