Whistle o'Er the Lave o'T by Robert Burns
The speaker recalls admiring Maggie, whom he once thought heavenly, meek, mild, sweet, and harmless, though she had deceived wiser men than himself. Now married to Meg, he refuses to discuss further what has changed between them, repeatedly dismissing “the lave” of the matter. He insists that the private way he and Meg live, love, and agree is no concern of outsiders. He also hints at intense hatred for an unnamed person whom he wishes dead and wrapped for burial, but suppresses the details because Meg might read them.
By Robert Burns · First published 1792 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Scottish Vernacular Poetry, Comic Poetry · 155 words
First lines
First when Maggie was my care, / Heav'n, I thought, was in her air, / Now we're married-speir nae mair, / But whistle o'er the lave o't!
Meg was meek, and Meg was mild, / Sweet and harmless as a child- / Wiser men than me's beguil'd; / Whistle o'er the lave o't!
How we live, my Meg and me, / How we love, and how we gree, / I care na by how few may see- / Whistle o'er the lave o't!
Wha I wish were maggot's meat, / Dish'd up in her winding-sheet, / I could write-but Meg maun see't- / Whistle o'er the lave o't!
Similar titles
- I Hae A Wife O My Ain by Robert Burns
- Heres His Health In Water by Robert Burns
- Im Oer Young To Marry Yet by Robert Burns
- Merry Hae I Been Teethin A Heckle by Robert Burns
- For A That by Robert Burns
- Wha Is That At My Bower Door by Robert Burns
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — A brief, song-like first-person poem expressing the speaker's changing feelings about marriage through compact stanzas and a recurring refrain.
- Scottish Vernacular Poetry — The poem is written prominently in Scots dialect, using vocabulary and idiom such as 'speir nae mair,' 'gree,' 'maun,' and 'lave o't.'
- Comic Poetry — Its domestic disillusionment is handled with wit, exaggerated contrasts, and the humorous evasive refrain 'Whistle o'er the lave o't.'
- Satirical Poetry — The speaker satirizes romantic idealization and marital expectations by contrasting his former worship of Maggie with his guarded resentment after marriage.
Tags
Scottish vernacular poetry · marriage · courtship · romantic disillusionment · deception · private domestic life · marital intimacy · love and conflict · jealousy · resentment · suppressed anger · gossip
What this Textopian page supports
Whistle o'Er the Lave o'T is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1792 CE.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Burns
- Date: 1792 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Scottish Vernacular Poetry, Comic Poetry, Satirical Poetry, Marriage Poetry
- Length: 155 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
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