Had I the Wyte? she Bade Me by Robert Burns
A man tells hoo a wife took him ben while her gudeman was awa, and defends kissin an dawtin her. He tells o her husband's cruel bruisin o her, and says he arrived at gloamin on Monday but left through Tyseday's dew for Willie's brandy.
By Robert Burns · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Lyric Poetry · 325 words
First lines
Had I the wyte, had I the wyte, / Had I the wyte? she bade me; / She watch'd me by the hie-gate side, / And up the loan she shaw'd me.
And when I wadna venture in, / A coward loon she ca'd me: / Had Kirk an' State been in the gate, / I'd lighted when she bade me.
Genres
- Narrative Poetry — Eight rhymin stanzas tell hoo a wife brings the speaker ben, hoo he kisses her, and hoo his Monday visit lasts intil Tyseday.
- Lyric Poetry — The speaker's repeated speirins aboot wyte an shame gie his defence o kissin the wife a sang-like shape.
Tags
wyte · kissin · marital cruelty · secret trysts
What this Textopian page supports
Had I the Wyte? she Bade Me is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated Date unknown.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Burns
- Date: Date unknown
- Genres: Narrative Poetry, Lyric Poetry
- Length: 325 words
- Structure: 1 section, 8 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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