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.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

1:38 min read
143

Quick analysis:

Scheme aaabaB xcxbdB exexeB fxfxfB dddbdB cccbcB dddbdb gxgbgB cccbcB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,788
Words 316
Stanzas 9
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6

Robert Fergusson

Robert Fergusson was a Scottish poet. After formal education at the University of St Andrews, Fergusson followed an essentially bohemian life course in Edinburgh, the city of his birth, then at the height of intellectual and cultural ferment as part of the Scottish enlightenment. Many of his extant poems were printed from 1771 onwards in Walter Ruddiman's Weekly Magazine, and a collected works was first published early in 1773. Despite a short life, his career was highly influential, especially through its impact on Robert Burns. He wrote both Scottish English and the Scots language, and it is his vivid and masterly writing in the latter leid for which he is principally acclaimed. more…

All Robert Fergusson poems | Robert Fergusson Books

0 fans

Discuss the poem Braid Claith 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

    "Braid Claith" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/30817/braid-claith>.

    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!

    More poems by

    Robert Fergusson

    »

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    20
    hours
    32
    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?

    »
    "It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea."
    A Edmund Spenser
    B Shel Silverstein
    C W.B. Yeats
    D Edgar Allan Poe