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

Robert Burns

Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist. more…

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