My Wife's a Winsome Wee Thing
written in 1792
My Wife's a Winsome Wee Thing - meaning Summary
Domestic Love and Devotion
This short, affectionate lyric is Robert Burns’s celebration of his wife, Jean Armour. In plain, intimate language the speaker praises her beauty and charm while asserting steady devotion: he will "wear her neist my heart" and share life’s hardships with joy. The repeated refrain frames her as a beloved constant amid daily toil, turning ordinary domestic struggle into a source of contentment. The poem’s tone is warm, unpretentious, and conversational, presenting marital love as both emotional intimacy and practical companionship rather than idealized romance.
Read Complete AnalysesShe is a winsome wee thing, She is a handsome wee thing, She is a lo'esome wee thing, This dear wee wife o' mine. I never saw a fairer, I never lo'ed a dearer, And neist my heart I'll wear her, For fear my jewel tine. She is a winsome wee thing, She is a handsome wee thing, She is a lo'esome wee thing, This dear wee wife o' mine. The warld's wrack we share o't; The warstle and the care o't; Wi' her I'll blythely bear it, And think my lot divine. She is a winsome wee thing, She is a handsome wee thing, She is a lo'esome wee thing, This dear wee wife o' mine.
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