Stay, My Charmer, Can You Leave Me

Stay, My Charmer, Can You Leave Me - meaning Summary

Plea Against a Lover's Leaving

This short lyric presents a speaker pleading with an absent or departing beloved called the "Charmer." The poem centers on abandonment, betrayal, and unrequited attachment: the speaker accuses the beloved of cruelty, recalls promises and faith, and begs not to be left. Its voice is immediate and imploring, driven by repetition and direct address that heighten emotional urgency. The poem distills a moment of heartbreak into a compact declaration of wounded love and desperate entreaty, reflecting Burns's recurring interest in personal romantic suffering.