Tam o' Shanter by Robert Burns
Tam o’ Shanter rides home from Ayr late on a stormy market night after drinking happily with his old companion Souter Johnie, despite the repeated warnings of his wife Kate. Kate has long condemned him as a drunken, boastful idler, predicting that his habits will bring him to disaster in the Doon or among warlocks near haunted Kirk-Alloway. Mounted on his excellent grey mare, Meg, Tam travels through wind, rain, lightning, thunder, and places associated with death and misfortune. Near Kirk-Alloway, he sees light shining from the building and hears loud music, merriment, and dancing. Strengthened by drink, he and Meg approach to look inside. Tam witnesses warlocks and witches dancing hornpipes, jigs, strathspeys, and reels while a beast-shaped auld Nick plays the pipes. Open coffins, lit by the dead who lie in them, surround a table covered with gruesome objects and murdered bodies. The witches dance ever more wildly, casting off their clothes as the music accelerates. Among them Tam notices Nannie, a powerful and feared young witch, wearing a very short cutty sark. Enchanted by her dancing, he loses control and cries out, “Weel done, Cutty-sark!” The lights vanish at once, and the entire hellish company rushes out after him. Tam spurs Meg into flight while the witches pursue them with shrieks and cries. He urges Meg toward the key-stone of the bridge, knowing that the witches cannot cross a running stream. Nannie gains on them and reaches for Tam, but Meg leaps forward and saves her master. Nannie catches only Meg’s tail, tearing it away and leaving the mare almost tailless. The tale warns readers that the pleasures of drink and thoughts of cutty-sarks may cost too dearly, and that they should remember Tam o’ Shanter’s mare.
By Robert Burns · First published 1791 · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Comic Narrative Poem, Scottish Literature · 2,633 words
First lines
A Tale.
"Of Brownyis and of Bogillis full is this Buke. " / Gawin Douglas.
Similar titles
- The White Cat by W. W. Jacobs
- The Drunkard And His Wife by Jean De La Fontaine
- Address To The Deil by Robert Burns
- The Husband The Wife And The Thief by Jean De La Fontaine
- The Dreamer by W. W. Jacobs
- Of The Accursed Bell by Thomas A. Janvier
Genres
- Narrative Poetry — The work is a verse tale with a clear plot, characters, setting, rising action, climax, and moral conclusion.
- Comic Narrative Poem — Its storytelling is driven by humorous characterization, drunken misadventure, absurd supernatural spectacle, and ironic narration.
- Scottish Literature — It is rooted in eighteenth-century Ayrshire life, Scottish locations, local customs, and the Scots language and dialect.
- Supernatural Fiction — The central episode depicts witches, warlocks, Satan, ghosts, enchanted objects, and traditional beliefs about crossing running water.
Tags
narrative poem · Scottish vernacular · eighteenth-century Scotland · Ayrshire · Ayr · Alloway Kirk · River Doon · stormy night · market-day drinking · drunkenness · domestic conflict · marital warning
What this Textopian page supports
Tam o' Shanter is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1791 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: 1791 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Narrative Poetry, Comic Narrative Poem, Scottish Literature, Supernatural Fiction, Gothic Poetry
- Length: 2,633 words
- Structure: 1 section, 22 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Tam o' Shanter 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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