It Was a' for Our Rightfu' King
written in 1794
It Was a' for Our Rightfu' King - context Summary
Written in 1794
Written in 1794, this songlike poem frames a Scottish soldier’s departure and farewell while stationed in Ireland. Burns evokes emigration and military service under the British crown, marking personal loss and enforced separation from homeland and lover. The speaker accepts that "a' is done in vain," contrasts typical returns of sailors and soldiers with his own permanent parting, and ends with private nights of mourning. The poem thus records a wartime, migratory experience that resonated with Scottish communities and with Burns’s awareness of soldiers’ lives.
Read Complete AnalysesIt was a' for our rightfu' king We left fair Scotland's strand; It was a' for our rightfu' king We e'er saw Irish land, my dear, We e'er saw Irish land. Now a' is done that men can do, And a' is done in vain: My Love and Native Land fareweel, For I maun cross the main, my dear, For I maun cross the main. He turn'd him right and round about, Upon the Irish shore, And gae his bridle-reins a shake, With, Adieu for evermore, my dear, And Adieu for evermore. The soger frae the wars returns, The sailor frae the main; But I hae parted frae my Love, Never to meet again, my dear, Never to meet again. When day is gane, and night is come, And a' folk bound to sleep; I think on him that's far awa, The lee-land night, and weep, my dear, The lee-lang night, and weep.
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