I Love My Jean
written in 1788
I Love My Jean - fact Summary
Inspired by Jean Armour
Written in 1788, this short lyric celebrates Burns’s beloved Jean Armour. The speaker links natural scenes—westward air, wild woods, rivers, flowers, and birds—to the presence of his lover, using simple, direct language and repeated images to convey constant affection. Rather than a narrative, the poem presents sustained adoration: the landscape becomes a mirror for memory and desire, so that every sight and sound evokes Jean. The work is personal and devotional in tone, reflecting Burns’s real-life attachment to Jean Armour.
Read Complete AnalysesOf a' the airts the wind can blaw, I dearly like the West; For there the bony Lassie lives, The Lassie I lo'e best: There's wild-woods grow, and rivers row, And mony a hill between; But day and night my fancy's flight Is ever wi' my Jean. I see her in the dewy flowers, I see her sweet and fair; I hear her in the tunefu' birds, I hear her charm the air: There's not a bony flower that springs By fountain, shaw, or green; There's not a bony bird that sings But minds me o' my Jean.
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