I Hae a Wife o' my Ain by Robert Burns
The speaker declares fierce independence in marriage, money, status, and emotion. He will share his wife with no one, neither accept nor inflict cuckoldry, spend his own penny without owing thanks, lend nothing, and borrow nothing. Though he is nobody’s lord, he refuses to be anyone’s slave and relies on his good broad sword to ensure that he takes blows from nobody. He resolves to live merrily and freely, grieving for no one because no one cares for him, and caring for no one in return.
By Robert Burns · First published 1787 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Scottish Vernacular Poetry, Song · 139 words
First lines
I Hae a wife of my ain, / I'll partake wi' naebody; / I'll take Cuckold frae nane, / I'll gie Cuckold to naebody.
I hae a penny to spend, / There-thanks to naebody! / I hae naething to lend, / I'll borrow frae naebody.
I am naebody's lord, / I'll be slave to naebody; / I hae a gude braid sword, / I'll tak dunts frae naebody.
I'll be merry and free, / I'll be sad for naebody; / Naebody cares for me, / I care for naebody.
What this Textopian page supports
I Hae a Wife o' my Ain is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1787 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: 1787 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Scottish Vernacular Poetry, Song, Comic Poetry, Satirical Poetry
- Length: 139 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — A short, stanzaic poem expressing a forceful personal voice, emotional attitude, and rhythmic musical phrasing.
- Scottish Vernacular Poetry — The work is written prominently in Scots dialect, using vocabulary and idiom such as 'hae,' 'ain,' 'naebody,' and 'gude braid sword.'
- Song — Its compact quatrains, regular repetitions, and emphatic refrain-like constructions give it the character of a traditional singable lyric.
- Comic Poetry — The speaker's exaggerated declarations of self-sufficiency, marital possession, and refusal to suffer cuckoldry create a humorous, swaggering tone.
Tags
Scottish vernacular poetry · eighteenth-century Scotland · lyric poem · marriage · marital fidelity · cuckoldry · personal independence · self-reliance · financial independence · debt avoidance · refusal to lend · social equality