I Gaed a Waefu' Gate Yestreen by Robert Burns

Name: I Gaed a Waefu' Gate Yestreen
Author: Robert Burns

The speaker laments having taken a sorrowful path the day before, a course he fears he will bitterly regret because it has given him a fatal love-wound. He attributes his suffering to a woman’s two lovely blue eyes, rather than to her bright golden curls, dew-wet rose-like lips, or lily-white breast. Her speech and smile have captivated his heart and charmed his soul, yet each painful stroke of love comes from her beautiful eyes. He resolves to speak cautiously and make his vow to her, hoping she may listen; if she refuses him, he declares that he will die because of her blue eyes.

By Robert Burns · First published 1790 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Romantic Poetry · 181 words

First lines

I gaed a waefu' gate yestreen, / A gate, I fear, I'll dearly rue; / I gat my death frae twa sweet een, / Twa lovely een o'bonie blue.

'Twas not her golden ringlets bright, / Her lips like roses wat wi' dew, / Her heaving bosom, lily-white- / It was her een sae bonie blue.

She talk'd, she smil'd, my heart she wyl'd; / She charm'd my soul I wist na how; / And aye the stound, the deadly wound, / Cam frae her een so bonie blue. / But "spare to speak, and spare to speed; " / She'll aiblins listen to my vow: / Should she refuse, I'll lay my dead / To her twa een sae bonie blue.

Open reader

Similar titles

Genres

Lyric Poetry — The work is a short, songlike first-person poem focused on the speaker's immediate emotional response to love and beauty.
Love Poetry — Its central subject is the speaker's overwhelming attraction to a woman, especially her 'bonie blue' eyes, and his hope that she may accept his vow.
Romantic Poetry — The poem emphasizes intense feeling, idealized feminine beauty, emotional surrender, and the potentially devastating power of desire.
Scottish Vernacular Poetry — Burns writes substantially in Scots dialect, using forms such as 'gaed,' 'waefu',' 'twa,' 'bonie,' and 'aiblins,' placing the poem in the Scots literary tradition.

What this Textopian page supports

I Gaed a Waefu' Gate Yestreen is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1790 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: 1790 CE
Language: English
Genres: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Romantic Poetry, Scottish Vernacular Poetry, Scottish Song
Length: 181 words
Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

Good citation fit

Work identity for I Gaed a Waefu' Gate Yestreen by Robert Burns
Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
Readability and classroom-planning context
Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph