Robin Shure in Hairst
written in 1789
Robin Shure in Hairst - meaning Summary
Loyalty to a Flawed Lover
This short Scots ballad narrates a young woman’s stubborn loyalty to Robin, a brash suitor who courts her with bold promises but delivers little. Set in a rural, working‑class world of cotters and plaids, the speaker repeatedly insists she stands by him despite his trickery and poverty. The poem’s refrain reinforces her attachment and the tension between romantic hope and material reality. Its plain voice and local detail make the speaker’s predicament immediate: affection and social expectations keep her with a partner who cannot fulfill the practical needs he promises.
Read Complete AnalysesRobin shure in hairst, I shure wi' him. Fient a heuk had I, Yet I stack by him. I gaed up to Dunse, To warp a wab o' plaiden; At his daddie's yet, Wha met me but Robin. Robin shure in hairst, I shure wi' him. Fient a heuk had I, Yet I stack by him. Was na Robin bauld, Tho' I was a cotter, Play'd me sic a trick And me the Eller's dochter? Robin shure in hairst, I shure wi' him. Fient a heuk had I, Yet I stack by him. Robin promis'd me A' my winter vittle; Fient haet he had but three Goos feathers and a whittle. Robin shure in hairst, I shure wi' him. Fient a heuk had I, Yet I stack by him.
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