Analysis of Braid Claith
Robert Fergusson 1750 (Edinburgh) – 1774
Ye wha are fain to hae your name
Wrote in the bonny book of fame,
Let merit nae pretension claim
To laurel'd wreath,
But hap ye weel, baith back and wame,
In gude Braid Claith.
He that some ells o' this may fa,
An' slae-black hat on pow like snaw,
Bids bauld to bear the gree awa',
Wi' a' this graith,
Whan bienly clad wi' shell fu' braw
O' gude Braid Claith.
Waesuck for him wha has na fek o't!
For he's a gowk they're sure to geck at,
A chiel that ne'er will be respekit
While he draws breath,
Till his four quarters are bedeckit
Wi' gude Braid Claith.
On Sabbath-days the barber spark,
When he has done wi' scrapin wark,
Wi' siller broachie in his sark,
Gangs trigly, faith!
Or to the meadow, or the park,
In gude Braid Claith.
Weel might ye trow, to see them there,
That they to shave your haffits bare,
Or curl an' sleek a pickly hair,
Wou'd be right laith,
Whan pacing wi' a gawsy air
In gude Braid Claith.
If only mettl'd stirrah green
For favour frae a lady's ein,
He maunna care for being seen
Before he sheath
His body in a scabbard clean
O' gude Braid Claith.
For, gin he come wi' coat threadbare,
A feg for him she winna care,
But crook her bonny mou' fu' sair,
And scald him baith.
Wooers shou'd ay their travel spare
Without Braid Claith.
Braid Claith lends fock an unco heese,
Makes mony kail-worms butterflies,
Gies mony a doctor his degrees
For little skaith:
In short, you may be what you please
Wi' gude Braid Claith.
For thof ye had as wise a snout on
As Shakespeare or Sir Isaac Newton,
Your judgment fouk wou'd hae a doubt on,
I'll tak my aith,
Till they cou'd see ye wi' a suit on
O' gude Braid Claith.
Scheme | aaabaB xcxbdB exexeB fxfxfB dddbdB cccbcB dddbdb gxgbgB cccbcB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11111111 10010111 11010101 111 11111101 0111 11111111 11111111 1111011 1011 1111111 1111 111111111 110111111 0111111 1111 1111011 1111 11010101 1111111 1101011 111 1101101 0111 11111111 1111111 1111011 1111 1101011 0111 110111 1110101 1111101 0111 11000101 1111 1111111 0111111 11010111 0111 1111101 0111 1111111 1101110 110010101 1101 01111111 1111 111111011 11111010 110111011 1111 111111011 1111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,788 |
Words | 316 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 9 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 54 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 137 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 35 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 02, 2023
- 1:38 min read
- 143 Views
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"Braid Claith" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/30817/braid-claith>.
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