Skip to content
Linespedia

Fair Eliza.

By Robert Burns

Topics: classic

A Gaelic Air. I.         Turn again, thou fair Eliza,             Ae kind blink before we part,         Rue on thy despairing lover!             Canst thou break his faithfu' heart?         Turn again, thou fair Eliza;             If to love thy heart denies,         For pity hide the cruel sentence             Under friendship's kind disguise! II.         Thee, dear maid, hae I offended?             The offence is loving thee:         Canst thou wreck his peace for ever,             Wha for time wad gladly die?         While the life beats in my bosom,             Thou shalt mix in ilka throe;         Turn again, thou lovely maiden.             Ae sweet smile on me bestow. III.         Not the bee upon the blossom,             In the pride o' sunny noon;         Not the little sporting fairy,             All beneath the simmer moon;         Not the poet, in the moment             Fancy lightens in his e'e,         Kens the pleasure, feels the rapture,             That thy presence gies to me.

AI analysis available. Enable JavaScript to interact.

About this line

"A Gaelic Air...."

Exploring the themes of classic, Robert Burns delivers a powerful performance in "Fair Eliza."... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

Attribution & Rights

Author:Robert Burns

"A Gaelic Air...." by Robert Burns

For usage rights, copyright concerns, or to report an issue with this content, please visit our Copyright & Report page.

Related lines

"Here souter Hood in death does sleep;             To h--ll, if he's gane thither,         Satan, gie him thy gear to keep,             He'l"

"A guid New-year I wish thee, Maggie!         Hae, there's a rip to thy auld baggie:         Tho' thou's howe-backit, now, an' knaggie,"

"How cold is that bosom which folly once fired,             How pale is that cheek where the rouge lately glisten'd!         How silent that"

"Tune - "Rory Dall's Port." I.         Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;         Ae fareweel, and then for ever!         Deep in heart-wrung"

"Here morning in the ploughman's songs is met     Ere yet one footstep shows in all the sky,     And twilight in the east, a doubt as yet,     S"

"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

Robert Burns

About Robert Burns

Robert Burns (1759–1796) was Scotland's national poet, celebrated worldwide on Burns Night. He wrote in Scots and English, producing poems like "Auld Lang Syne," "A Red, Red Rose," and "To a Mouse," championing democratic values and the dignity of common people.

Full Bibliography
Continue Reading

"Here souter Hood in death does sleep;             ..."

Weekly Poetic Insight

Join our literary Sanctuary

Get the most inspiring lines, poetic analysis, and secret shayaris delivered to your inbox every Sunday.