Sweet Tibbie Dunbar by Robert Burns
The speaker asks sweet Tibbie Dunbar to go with him, offering to travel by horse, car, or on foot at his side. He declares that he does not care about her father’s land and money or her proud, high-ranking kin, so long as she will take him for better or worse and come to him in her coatie.
By Robert Burns · First published 1792 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Scottish Poetry · 112 words
First lines
O wilt thou go wi' me, sweet Tibbie Dunbar? / O wilt thou go wi' me, sweet Tibbie Dunbar? / Wilt thou ride on a horse, or be drawn in a car, / Or walk by my side, O sweet Tibbie Dunbar?
I care na thy daddie, his lands and his money, / I care na thy kin, sae high and sae lordly; / But sae that thou'lt hae me for better for waur, / And come in thy coatie, sweet Tibbie Dunbar.
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The work is a brief, songlike poem centered on direct emotional expression, repetition, rhythm, and an intimate speaker's appeal.
- Love Poetry — Its central subject is a marriage proposal or romantic invitation, with the speaker asking Tibbie Dunbar to join him regardless of wealth or social standing.
- Scottish Poetry — Burns writes in Scots dialect, using terms such as 'wi'', 'care na,' 'sae,' and 'coatie,' and the poem reflects Scottish vernacular literary tradition.
- Folk Song — The repeated address, simple stanzaic structure, musical cadence, and courtship theme closely resemble traditional Scottish folk-song conventions.
Tags
Scottish vernacular poetry · love song · courtship · marriage proposal · romantic invitation · devotion · love over wealth · rejection of social status · class difference · family wealth · aristocratic kin · rural Scotland
What this Textopian page supports
Sweet Tibbie Dunbar is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1792 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: 1792 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Scottish Poetry, Folk Song, Courtship Poetry
- Length: 112 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
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