Tam Glen by Robert Burns (1792)
A young woman asks her dear Tittie for advice because she loves Tam Glen and is distressed over whether to marry him. Though Tam Glen may leave her in poverty, she says riches mean nothing if she cannot marry him. She rejects Lowrie, the Laird o’ Dumeller, despite his money and boasting, because he cannot dance like Tam Glen. Her mother warns that young men flatter women only to deceive them, but the speaker cannot believe Tam Glen would do so. Her father offers her a large sum if she will give Tam Glen up, yet she feels that, if she must marry, no one but Tam Glen will do. Signs seem to confirm her attachment: at a Valentine’s drawing she picks “Tam Glen” three times, and while performing a Halloween custom, she sees his likeness approaching the house in his grey breeches. She urgently asks Tittie to advise her to marry the man she dearly loves, offering her a bonie black hen in return.
By Robert Burns · First published 1792 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Scottish Vernacular Poetry · 361 words
First lines
My heart is a-breaking, dear Tittie, / Some counsel unto me come len', / To anger them a' is a pity, / But what will I do wi' Tam Glen?
I'm thinking, wi' sic a braw fellow, / In poortith I might mak a fen; / What care I in riches to wallow, / If I maunna marry Tam Glen!
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The work is a short, highly musical first-person poem expressing an immediate personal emotion: the speaker's determination to marry Tam Glen.
- Love Poetry — Its central subject is the speaker's affectionate and unwavering love for Tam Glen despite social pressure and more financially advantageous alternatives.
- Scottish Vernacular Poetry — Burns writes extensively in Scots dialect, using regional vocabulary, speech patterns, rural customs, and specifically Scottish social settings.
- Folk Song — The poem's stanzaic form, colloquial voice, repeated naming of Tam Glen, and references to communal customs give it the character of a traditional Scottish song or ballad.
Tags
Scottish vernacular poetry · love song · courtship · marriage choice · romantic devotion · young woman speaker · rural Scotland · eighteenth-century Scotland · poverty and wealth · wealthy suitor · parental opposition · family advice
What this Textopian page supports
Tam Glen 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 Vernacular Poetry, Folk Song, Pastoral Poetry
- Length: 361 words
- Structure: 1 section, 8 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Tam Glen by Robert Burns
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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