Young Jockie was the Blythest Lad
Young Jockie is described by a young woman as the happiest and liveliest lad anywhere around her. He whistles while driving the gaud and dances lightly in the hall. He praises her beautiful blue eyes and slender waist, stirring feelings in her that she keeps hidden when no one can hear or see. Jockie works hard on the plain through wind, rain, frost, and snow, while she eagerly watches across the lea for his oxen to come home. Each night, he embraces her and promises that she will remain his for as long as he lives.
By Robert Burns · First published 1792 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Scottish Vernacular Poetry · 187 words
First lines
Young Jockie was the blythest lad, / In a' our town or here awa; / Fu' blythe he whistled at the gaud, / Fu' lightly danc'd he in the ha'.
He roos'd my een sae bonie blue, / He roos'd my waist sae genty sma'; / An' aye my heart cam to my mou', / When ne'er a body heard or saw.
My Jockie toils upon the plain, / Thro' wind and weet, thro' frost and snaw: / And o'er the lea I leuk fu' fain, / When Jockie's owsen hameward ca'.
An' aye the night comes round again, / When in his arms he taks me a'; / An' aye he vows he'll be my ain, / As lang's he has a breath to draw.
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — A short, song-like first-person poem focused on the speaker's affectionate feelings for Jockie, using regular stanzas, rhythm, and expressive musical language.
- Love Poetry — The central subject is romantic devotion: the speaker admires Jockie's appearance and character, longs for his return, and celebrates his pledge of lasting love.
- Scottish Vernacular Poetry — Written in Scots dialect, with vocabulary such as 'blythest,' 'bonie,' 'leuk,' 'owSen,' and 'ca',' the poem belongs strongly to Burns's vernacular Scottish literary tradition.
- Pastoral Poetry — Its rural setting includes plains, fields, weather, livestock, and Jockie's agricultural labor, presenting courtship within an idealized countryside.
Tags
Scottish vernacular poetry · Scots language · pastoral love poem · rural Scotland · eighteenth-century Scotland · courtship · romantic devotion · young lovers · female speaker · admiration of a laborer · farm labor · ploughing
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Young Jockie was the Blythest Lad 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, Pastoral Poetry, Folk Song
- Length: 187 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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