Beware O' Bonie Ann
written in 1789
Beware O' Bonie Ann - context Summary
Composed in 1789
Composed in 1789, this short Scots lyric by Robert Burns presents a playful social warning to would‑be suitors about Bonie Ann. In convivial tones the speaker praises Ann’s looks and manner—bright eyes, swan‑like skin, graceful waist—and cautions that her charms conquer men. The poem frames love as an irresistible force and stages Ann amid attendants of youth, grace, and love. Read as light entertainment for singing, it sits within Burns’s wider output of songs about rural life, courtship, and convivial social occasions.
Read Complete AnalysesYe gallants bright, I rede you right, Beware o' bonie Ann; Her comely face sae fu' o' grace, Your heart she will trepan: Her een sae bright, like stars by night, Her skin sae like the swan; Sae jimply lac'd her genty waist, That sweetly ye might span. Youth, Grace, and Love attendant move, And pleasure leads the van: In a' their charms, and conquering arms, They wait on bonie Ann. The captive bands may chain the hands, But love enslaves the man: Ye gallants braw , I rede you a' , Beware o' bonie Ann!
Feel free to be first to leave comment.