Burns stanza
Encyclopedia
The Burns stanza is a verse form named after the Scottish
poet Robert Burns
. It was not, however, invented by Burns, and prior to his use of it was known as the standard Habbie, after the piper
Habbie Simpson
(1550-1620). It is also sometimes known as the Scottish stanza or six-line stave.
The first notable poem written in this stanza was the "Lament for Habbie Simpson; or, the life and death of the piper of Kilbarchan" by Robert Sempill the younger
. The stanza was used frequently by major 18th century Lowland Scots
poets such as Robert Fergusson
and Robert Burns
, and has also been used by subsequent poets. Major poems in the stanza include Burns's To a Louse
, Address to the Deil
and Death and Doctor Hornbook. The stanza is six lines in length and rhymes aaabab, with tetrameter
a lines and dimeter
b lines. The second b line may or may not be repeated.
Although the "Lament for Habbie" itself is strictly lyrical, subsequent uses have tended to be comic and satirical. The stanza is naturally suited to comic rhymes, as the quoted passage from Burns shows:
A variation on the Burns stanza employs the rhyme scheme aabcccb, with foreshortened third and seventh lines. This form is deployed, for example, in W. H. Auden
's poem "Brother, who when the sirens roar" (also known as "A Communist to Others"):
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
poet Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
. It was not, however, invented by Burns, and prior to his use of it was known as the standard Habbie, after the piper
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
Habbie Simpson
Habbie Simpson
Habbie Simpson was the town piper in the Scottish village of Kilbarchan in Renfrewshire. Today Simpson is chiefly known as the subject of the poem the Lament for Habbie Simpson...
(1550-1620). It is also sometimes known as the Scottish stanza or six-line stave.
The first notable poem written in this stanza was the "Lament for Habbie Simpson; or, the life and death of the piper of Kilbarchan" by Robert Sempill the younger
Robert Sempill the younger
Robert Sempill, the younger , Scottish poet, son of James Sempill, was educated at the University of Glasgow, having matriculated in March 1613....
. The stanza was used frequently by major 18th century Lowland Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
poets such as Robert Fergusson
Robert Fergusson
Robert Fergusson was a Scottish poet. After formal education at the University of St Andrews, Fergusson followed an essentially bohemian life course in Edinburgh, the city of his birth, then at the height of intellectual and cultural ferment as part of the Scottish enlightenment...
and Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
, and has also been used by subsequent poets. Major poems in the stanza include Burns's To a Louse
To a Louse
"To A Louse, On Seeing One on a Lady's Bonnet at Church" is a 1786 Scots language poem by Robert Burns in his favourite meter, Standard Habbie. The poem's theme is contained in the final verse:...
, Address to the Deil
Address to the Deil
Address to the Deil is a poem by Scottish poet Robert Burns. It was written in Mossgiel in 1785 and published in the Kilmarnock volume in 1786. It is generally considered one of Burns' best poems.-Overview:...
and Death and Doctor Hornbook. The stanza is six lines in length and rhymes aaabab, with tetrameter
Tetrameter
Tetrameter: [ti'tramitə]; te·tram·e·ter; a verse of four measuresOrigin: early 17th century : from late Latin tetrametrus, originally neuter from Greek tetrametros 'having four measures,' from tetra- 'four' + metron 'measure'....
a lines and dimeter
Dimeter
In poetry, a dimeter is a metrical line of verse with two feet. Consider Thomas Hood's "Bridge of Sighs:"In poetry, a dimeter is a metrical line of verse with two feet. Consider Thomas Hood's "Bridge of Sighs:"...
b lines. The second b line may or may not be repeated.
Although the "Lament for Habbie" itself is strictly lyrical, subsequent uses have tended to be comic and satirical. The stanza is naturally suited to comic rhymes, as the quoted passage from Burns shows:
- O THOU! whatever title suit thee—
- Auld Hornie, Satan, Nick, or Clootie,
- Wha in yon cavern grim an’ sootie,
- Clos’d under hatches,
- Spairges about the brunstane cootie,
- To scaud poor wretches!
- Hear me, auld Hangie, for a wee,
- An’ let poor damned bodies be;
- I’m sure sma’ pleasure it can gie,
- Ev’n to a deil,
- To skelp an’ scaud poor dogs like me,
- An’ hear us squeel!
- --"Address to the Deil"
A variation on the Burns stanza employs the rhyme scheme aabcccb, with foreshortened third and seventh lines. This form is deployed, for example, in W. H. Auden
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden , who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England and America." See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or citizenship" in See also...
's poem "Brother, who when the sirens roar" (also known as "A Communist to Others"):
Brothers, who when the sirens roar
From office, shop and factory pour
- 'Neath evening sky;
By cops directed to the fug
Of talkie-houses for a drug,
Or down canals to find a hug
- Until you die: (lines 1-7)
Auden uses similar verse forms in other poems in the collection Look, Stranger! (also known as On This IslandOn This IslandOn This Island is a book of poems by W. H. Auden, first published under the title Look, Stranger! in the UK in 1936, then published under Auden's preferred title, On this Island, in the US in 1937.The book contains thirty-one poems...
), such as "The WitnessesThe WitnessesThe Witnesses is a 2007 French drama film directed by André Téchiné, starring Michel Blanc, Sami Bouajila, Emmanuelle Béart and Johan Libéreau. The film is set in Paris in 1984, the lives of a closely knit group of friends is disrupted with the sudden outbreak of AIDS epidemic. They are witnesses...
" and "Out on the lawn I lie in bed" (also known as "Summer Night"). A more recent example can be seen in W. N. HerbertW. N. HerbertW. N. Herbert, also known as Bill Herbert is a poet from Dundee, Scotland. He writes in both English and Scots. He and Richard Price founded the poetry magazine Gairfish. Educated at Brasenose College he currently teaches at Newcastle University...
's "To a Mousse".