Robert Burns

Jockey Fou and Jenny Fain

written in 1792

Jockey Fou and Jenny Fain - meaning Summary

Love Prized Above Riches

This short Scots lyric expresses a speaker’s simple, earnest preference for mutual love over material wealth or show. Using plain, dialectal language, the speaker rejects outward trappings and prizes a beloved who loves only him. The poem frames affection as the true dowry and the source of joy, emphasizing reciprocity and emotional fidelity rather than status or possessions. Its tone is intimate and direct, presenting love as both the motive and reward of courtship.

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Ithers seek they kenna what, Feathers, carriage and a' that, Gie me loove in her I court; Loove to loove maks a' the sport. Let loove sparkle in her e'e; Let her loe no man but me; That's the tocher gude I prize, There the Luver's treasure lies.

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