My Nanie, O by Robert Burns (1793)
The speaker resolves to brave the wintry darkness, rain, and sharp west wind, taking his plaid and crossing the hill to Nanie. He praises her as charming, sweet, young, fair, true-hearted, and spotless, and curses the flattering tongue that would deceive her. Though he is a little-known country lad whose only riches are his penny-fee, he cares nothing for worldly gear because he is always welcome with Nanie. While the auld guidman enjoys seeing his sheep and kye prosper, the speaker is happy to work his pleugh and keep Nanie in his thoughts. Whether weel or woe comes, he will accept what Heav'n sends and seek only to live and love Nanie.
By Robert Burns · First published 1793 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Scottish Folk Song · 378 words
First lines
Tune-"My Nanie, O."
Behind yon hills where Lugar flows, / 'Mang moors an' mosses many, O, / The wintry sun the day has clos'd, / And I'll awa to Nanie, O.
Similar titles
- Song Composed In August by Robert Burns
- A Nutting We Will Go by Sabine Baring Gould
- Green Grow The Rashes by Robert Burns
- Love Where You Go by Marie Van Vorst
- Sweet Nightingale by Sabine Baring Gould
- Wonderfu Slee by Helen Gray Cone
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The work is a short, songlike first-person poem centered on the speaker's immediate feelings of love, admiration, and devotion.
- Love Poetry — Its central subject is the speaker's affectionate commitment to Nanie, whom he praises for her beauty, purity, kindness, and faithfulness.
- Scottish Folk Song — Written to a tune and using Scots dialect, refrain-like phrasing, rural imagery, and a simple melodic stanza form, it belongs strongly to the Scottish song tradition.
- Pastoral Poetry — The poem is set among moors, hills, fields, sheep, cattle, and ploughing, presenting rural labor and countryside life as the natural setting for love.
Tags
Scottish love song · pastoral lyric · rural Scotland · Scots dialect · courtship · devoted lover · young woman · romantic devotion · winter night · rain and wind · crossing the hills · plaid
What this Textopian page supports
My Nanie, O is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1793 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: 1793 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Scottish Folk Song, Pastoral Poetry, Romantic Poetry
- Length: 378 words
- Structure: 1 section, 9 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for My Nanie, O 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