Of a' the Airts the Wind can Blaw
The speaker loves the west above all directions because his beloved Jean lives there. Though woods, rivers, and hills lie between them, his thoughts travel constantly to her. He sees her beauty in dewy flowers and hears her charm in singing birds; every lovely flower and bird reminds him of Jean.
By Robert Burns · First published 1790 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Scottish Poetry · 204 words
First lines
Written during a separation from Mrs. Burns in their honeymoon. Burns was preparing a home at Ellisland; Mrs. Burns was at Mossgiel. -Lang.
Tune-"Miss Admiral Gordon's Strathspey."
Of a' the airts the wind can blaw, / I dearly like the west, / For there the bonie lassie lives, / The lassie I lo'e best:
There's wild-woods grow, and rivers row, / And mony a hill between: / But day and night my fancys' flight / Is ever wi' my Jean.
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — A short, song-like first-person poem that expresses the speaker's intimate emotions through musical rhythm, repetition, and vivid natural imagery.
- Love Poetry — The poem centers on the speaker's enduring affection for Jean, whose absence makes every landscape, flower, and bird remind him of her.
- Scottish Poetry — Written in Scots dialect and rooted in Scottish rural scenery, vernacular speech, and the traditional strathspey tune form.
- Pastoral Poetry — Its emotional world is conveyed through idealized countryside elements, including woods, rivers, hills, flowers, fountains, and singing birds.
Tags
Scottish lyric poetry · love and longing · separation from a beloved · romantic devotion · Jean Armour · westward longing · rural Scotland · eighteenth-century Scotland · Scots language · song lyric · Strathspey tune · nature imagery
What this Textopian page supports
Of a' the Airts the Wind can Blaw 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, Scottish Poetry, Pastoral Poetry, Folk Song
- Length: 204 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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- Work identity for Of a' the Airts the Wind can Blaw by Robert Burns
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
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