My Ain Kind Dearie
My Ain Kind Dearie - fact Summary
Addressed to Jean Armour
This short pastoral lyric is believed to be addressed to Robert Burns's wife, Jean Armour. Knowing the addressee frames the poem as intimate and domestic rather than purely fictional. It depicts a speaker content and grateful for closeness with his beloved, using rustic imagery of lying together "across the lee-rig" to suggest shelter and ease. The personal connection to Jean Armour makes the poem read as an authentic moment of affection from Burns, linking its warmth and modesty to his real-life relationship.
Read Complete AnalysesI'll lay thee o'er the lee-rig, Lovely Mary, deary, O; I'll lay thee o'er the lee-rig, My lovely Mary, deary, O. Altho' the night were ne'er so wet, An' I were ne'er so weary O; I'd lay thee o'er the lee-rig, My lovely Mary, deary, O. Look down ye gods from yonder sky, An' see how blest a man am I; No envy my fond heart alarms, Encircled in my Mary's arms Lyin' across the lee-rig, Wi' lovely Mary, deary, O; Lyin' across the lee-rig, Wi' my kind deary, O.
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