Robert Burns

As I Cam O'er the Cairney Mount

written in 1796

As I Cam O'er the Cairney Mount - meaning Summary

Highland Courtship and Shelter

This short Scots lyric describes a pastoral courtship set on the Cairney mount. The speaker encounters a Highland lad among blooming heather and seeks shelter in a milking-shiel during bad weather. The poem praises the lad’s sturdiness and tartan plaid and records the speaker’s willing consent to become his at the next meeting. The rural landscape, seasonal cues, and straightforward voice create an intimate, buoyant mood that frames a simple, mutual promise rather than a dramatic narrative.

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As I came o'er the Cairney mount And down amang the blooming heather, Kindly stood the milkin-shiel To shelter frae the stormy weather. O my bonie Highland lad, My winsome, weelfar'd Highland laddie; Wha wad mind the wind and rain, Sae weel row'd in his tartan plaidie. Now Phebus blinkit on the bent, And o'er the knowes the lambs were bleating: But he wan my heart's consent, To be his ain at the neist meeting. O my bonie Highland lad, My winsome, weelfar'd Highland laddie; Wha wad mind the wind and rain, Sae weel row'd in his tartan plaidie.

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