It was a' for our Rightfu' King by Robert Burns
For their rightfu' king, men leave Scotland for Ireland, but their efforts are in vain. A man bids his love an native land fareweel an says he maun cross the sea; the last speaker weeps through the nicht for him far awa.
By Robert Burns · Genre: Ballad, Love Poetry, War Poetry · 255 words
First lines
It was a' for our rightfu' King / We left fair Scotland's strand; / It was a' for our rightfu' King / We e'er saw Irish land, my dear, / We e'er saw Irish land.
Now a' is done that men can do, / And a' is done in vain; / My Love and Native Land fareweel, / For I maun cross the main, my dear, / For I maun cross the main.
He turn'd him right and round about, / Upon the Irish shore; / And gae his bridle reins a shake, / With adieu for evermore, my dear, / And adiue for evermore.
The soger frae the wars returns, / The sailor frae the main; / But I hae parted frae my Love, / Never to meet again, my dear, / Never to meet again.
Genres
- Ballad — Five stanzas tell o departure, vain efforts an a last fareweel, wi repeated lines an the refrain 'my dear'.
- Love Poetry — The speakers lament pairtin frae a love, never tae meet again, an weep for him far awa.
- War Poetry — Service for a rightfu' king leads men frae Scotland tae Ireland, an the return o a soger is set beside a lover's lasting pairtin.
Tags
love · pairtin · war · Scotland · Ireland
What this Textopian page supports
It was a' for our Rightfu' King 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
- Genres: Ballad, Love Poetry, War Poetry
- Length: 255 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for It was a' for our Rightfu' King 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