Gudewife, Count the Lawin by Robert Burns
The speaker celebrates a drinking gathering that banishes darkness with ale, brandy, and wine, treating the drinks as stars, moon, and rising sun. Though gentlemen possess wealth and ease while ordinary people must struggle, all drinkers are equal together: every drunken man becomes a lord. The speaker calls his coggie a holy pool that heals care and sorrow, and presents Pleasure as a wanton trout to be discovered by drinking the bowl dry. He repeatedly urges the gudewife to count the lawin and bring another coggie.
By Robert Burns · First published 1793 · Genre: Drinking song, Lyric poetry, Scottish vernacular poetry · 195 words
First lines
Gane is the day, and mirk's the night, / But we'll ne'er stray for faut o' light; / Gude ale and bratdy's stars and moon, / And blue-red wine's the risin' sun.
Chorus. -Then gudewife, count the lawin, / The lawin, the lawin, / Then gudewife, count the lawin, / And bring a coggie mair.
There's wealth and ease for gentlemen, / And simple folk maun fecht and fen'; / But here we're a' in ae accord, / For ilka man that's drunk's a lord. / Then gudewife, &c.
My coggie is a haly pool / That heals the wounds o' care and dool; / And Pleasure is a wanton trout, / An ye drink it a', ye'll find him out. / Then gudewife, &c.
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Genres
- Drinking song — The poem celebrates ale, wine, communal drinking, and repeatedly calls for the hostess to count the bill and bring another bowl.
- Lyric poetry — It is a short, musical poem built from compact stanzas, vivid figurative language, and a recurring chorus.
- Scottish vernacular poetry — Burns writes in Scots dialect, using terms such as 'gudewife,' 'lawin,' 'coggie,' and 'ilka,' and situates the poem in a recognizably Scottish social setting.
- Tavern song — Its imagined setting is an inn or drinking-house, where companions drink together and address the landlady about their reckoning.
Tags
Scottish vernacular poetry · drinking song · tavern gathering · ale · brandy · wine · nighttime revelry · communal drinking · refrain · chorus · working-class fellowship · social equality
What this Textopian page supports
Gudewife, Count the Lawin is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1793 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Burns
- Date: 1793 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Drinking song, Lyric poetry, Scottish vernacular poetry, Tavern song, Bacchanalian poetry
- Length: 195 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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