Sae Far Awa
written in 1791
Sae Far Awa - fact Summary
Planned Voyage to Jamaica
Written in 1791, this short lyric records Burns’s sorrow at leaving a beloved to travel far away. The speaker repeatedly returns to the refrain that she is "sae far awa," expressing fear, longing, and faith that love will remain true despite separation. Biographically, the poem reflects Burns’s plan to go to Jamaica as a bookkeeper on a plantation; that planned voyage and the prospect of exile sharpen the poem’s mix of devotion and apprehension rather than serving any political argument about the destination.
Read Complete AnalysesO sad and heavy should I part, But for her sake, sae far awa; Unknowing what my way may thwart, My native land sae far awa. Thou that of a' things Maker art, That form'd this Fair sae far awa, Gie body strength, then I'll ne'er start At this my way sae far awa. How true is love to pure desert, So love to her sae far awa: And nocht can heal my bosom's smart, While, Oh, she is sae far awa. Nane other love, nane other dart, I feel, but her's sae far awa; But fairer never touch'd a heart Than her's, the Fair sae far awa.
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