Had I a Cave by Robert Burns
The speaker imagines retreating to a cave on a distant, stormy shore to mourn and seek rest until death. Addressing a woman accused of breaking her pledged vows, the speaker tells her to go to her new lover and questions whether she can find peace.
By Robert Burns · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry · 120 words
First lines
Tune-"Robin Adair."
Had I a cave on some wild distant shore, / Where the winds howl to the wave's dashing roar: / There would I weep my woes, / There seek my lost repose, / Till grief my eyes should close, / Ne'er to wake more!
Falsest of womankind, can'st thou declare / All thy fond, plighted vows fleeting as air! / To thy new lover hie, / Laugh o'er thy perjury; / Then in thy bosom try / What peace is there!
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — Two rhymed stanzas voice a speaker's wish for refuge and direct accusation against a woman.
- Love Poetry — The speaker mourns lost affection and reproaches a woman for abandoning her pledged vows for a new lover.
Tags
broken vows · lost love · grief · seaside refuge
What this Textopian page supports
Had I a Cave is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated Date unknown.
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: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry
- Length: 120 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
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