A Vision Poem by Robert Burns

A Vision

Rating: 4.1


AS I stood by yon roofless tower,
Where the wa'flower scents the dewy air,
Where the howlet mourns in her ivy bower,
And tells the midnight moon her care.


The winds were laid, the air was still,
The stars they shot alang the sky;
The fox was howling on the hill,
And the distant echoing glens reply.


The stream, adown its hazelly path,
Was rushing by the ruin'd wa's,
Hasting to join the sweeping Nith,
Whase distant roaring swells and fa's.


The cauld blae North was streaming forth
Her lights, wi' hissing, eerie din;
Athwart the lift they start and shift,
Like Fortune's favors, tint as win.


By heedless chance I turn'd mine eyes,
And, by the moonbeam, shook to see
A stern and stalwart ghaist arise,
Attir'd as Minstrels wont to be.


Had I a statue been o' stane,
His daring look had daunted me;
And on his bonnet grav'd was plain,
The sacred posy—"LIBERTIE!"


And frae his harp sic strains did flow,
Might rous'd the slumb'ring Dead to hear;
But oh, it was a tale of woe,
As ever met a Briton's ear!


He sang wi' joy his former day,
He, weeping, wailed his latter times;
But what he said—it was nae play,
I winna venture't in my rhymes.

Saturday, November 15, 2014
Topic(s) of this poem: life
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
M Asim Nehal 15 April 2016

Wonderful, I liked the imagery, flow and the message in this poem, thanks for sharing.10

4 0 Reply
* Sunprincess * 15 April 2016

.....nature is beautifully penned in the first few stanzas.... these lines are so beautiful, I could read them again and again ★

4 0 Reply
Martin Rooney 22 February 2020

God awful - computerised rubbish!

0 0 Reply
Susan Williams 15 April 2016

There is awesome dignity and power in these verses- he speaks of the death of one whose gravestone was engraved liberty

12 0 Reply
Anil Kumar Panda 15 April 2016

Words have been woven into a nice poem.Thanks for sharing.

2 0 Reply
Dan Reynolds 15 April 2016

Rabbie at his best with flow and form.

2 2 Reply
Edward Kofi Louis 15 April 2016

The air was still! ! With the muse of nature. Thanks for sharing.

1 2 Reply
READ THIS POEM IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Robert Burns

Robert Burns

Ayrshire / Scotland
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