Will Ye Go to the Indies, My Mary
written in 1792
Will Ye Go to the Indies, My Mary - fact Summary
Written About Jean Armour
Written in 1792, the lyric addresses a lover—Mary—and asks whether she will emigrate to the Indies. The speaker contrasts exotic promise lime and the orange
with his beloved’s worth, vows fidelity "by the Heavens," and asks for a pledge before leaving Scotland. The poem ultimately affirms a mutual troth and curses any force that would part them. It reflects Burns’s personal attachment and a desire to remain with his wife rather than seek opportunities abroad, framing emigration as secondary to marital loyalty.
Will ye go to the Indies, my Mary, And leave auld Scotia's shore; Will ye go to the Indies, my Mary, Across th' Atlantic roar. O sweet grows the lime and the orange, And the apple on the pine; But a' the charms o' the Indies Can never equal thine. I hae sworn by the Heavens to my Mary, I hae sworn by the Heavens to be true; And sae may the Heavens forget me, When I forget my vow! O plight me your faith, my Mary, And plight me your lily-white hand; O plight me your faith, my Mary, Before I leave Scotia's strand. We hae plighted our troth, my Mary, In mutual affection to join: And curst be the cause that shall part us, The hour and the moment o' time!!!
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