O Wert Thou in the Cauld Blast
written in 1796
O Wert Thou in the Cauld Blast - meaning Summary
Devoted Protective Love
Burns presents a speaker pledging unwavering, humble devotion to a beloved. Addressing the beloved directly, the narrator promises physical shelter from cold and misfortune, offers his own body as refuge, and transforms hardship into joy simply by the beloved's presence. He imagines extremes—wilderness and kingship—and in each scenario values companionship over comfort or power. The poem compresses romantic fidelity into brief, earnest vows, portraying love as both sacrificial protection and the source that makes any place or status desirable.
Read Complete AnalysesO wert thou in the cauld blast, On yonder lea, on yonder lea, My plaidie to the angry airt, I'd shelter thee, I'd shelter thee; Or did Misfortune's bitter storms Around thee blaw, around thee blaw, Thy bield should be my bosom, To share it a', to share it a'. Or were I in the wildest waste, Sae black and bare, sae black and bare, The desert were a Paradise, If thou wert there, if thou wert there; Or were I Monarch o' the globe, Wi' thee to reign, wi' thee to reign, The brightest jewel in my Crown Wad be my Queen, wad be my Queen.
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