Up in the Morning Early
written in 1788
Up in the Morning Early - context Summary
Composed in Harsh 1788 Winter
Written in 1788, this short lyric registers a blunt, everyday response to a harsh Scottish winter. The speaker describes driving drift, chilling wind, long nights, and hungry birds to explain why rising early is undesirable. Its plain language and repetitive refrain emphasize communal feeling rather than individual introspection. The poem functions as a weather report and a sympathetic note about rural hardship, reflecting conditions Burns knew firsthand and offering a compact portrait of labor, seasonality, and survival in winter.
Read Complete AnalysesCauld blaws the wind frae east to west, The drift is driving sairly; Sae loud and shill's I hear the blast I'm sure it's winter fairly. Up in the morning's no for me, Up in the morning early; When a' the hills are covered wi' snaw, I'm sure it's winter fairly. The birds sit chittering in the thorn, A' day they fare but sparely; And lang's the night frae e'en to morn I'm sure it's winter fairly Up in the morning's no for me, Up in the morning early; When a' the hills are covered wi' snaw, I'm sure it's winter fairly.
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