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Lyric Poem · Peace

Ballad on Mr. Heron’s Election—No. 4

by Robert Burns

WHA will buy my troggin, fine election ware,

Broken trade o’ Broughton, a’ in high repair?

Chorus.—Buy braw troggin frae the banks o’ Dee;

Wha wants troggin let him come to me.

There’s a noble Earl’s fame and high renown,

For an auld sang—it’s thought the gudes were stown—

Buy braw troggin, &c.

Here’s the worth o’ Broughton in a needle’s e’e;

Here’s a reputation tint by Balmaghie.

Buy braw troggin, &c.

Here’s its stuff and lining, Cardoness’ head,

Fine for a soger, a’ the wale o’ lead.

Buy braw troggin, &c.

Here’s a little wadset, Buittle’s scrap o’ truth,

Pawn’d in a gin-shop, quenching holy drouth.

Buy braw troggin, &c.

Here’s an honest conscience might a prince adorn;

Frae the downs o’ Tinwald, so was never worn.

Buy braw troggin, &c.

Here’s armorial bearings frae the manse o’ Urr;

The crest, a sour crab-apple, rotten at the core.

Buy braw troggin, &c.

Here’s the worth and wisdom Collieston can boast;

By a thievish midge they had been nearly lost.

Buy braw troggin, &c.

Here is Satan’s picture, like a bizzard gled,

Pouncing poor Redcastle, sprawlin’ like a taed.

Buy braw troggin, &c.

Here’s the font where Douglas stane and mortar names;

Lately used at Caily christening Murray’s crimes.

Buy braw troggin, &c.

Here is Murray’s fragments o’ the ten commands;

Gifted by black Jock to get them aff his hands.

Buy braw troggin, &c.

Saw ye e’er sic troggin? if to buy ye’re slack,

Hornie’s turnin chapman—he’ll buy a’ the pack.

Buy braw troggin, &c.

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Quick facts

Poem
Ballad on Mr. Heron’s Election—No. 4
Poet
Robert Burns
Length
37 lines
Form
Lyric Poem
Themes
Peace

Craft notes

How this poem works

Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.

Shape
37 lines · 13 stanzas of 2–3 lines
Refrain
Buy braw troggin, &c.Repeated lines act as the poem's hinge or drumbeat.

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Text, source & rights

A traceable edition

Full-text display is based on the committed source record and a United States term-expiry review.

Author record
Robert Burns1759–1796
Source record
PoetryDBBallad on Mr. Heron’s Election—No. 4 by robert-burns, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision
Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record
Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint
SHA-256 4871ab1b1e7c9a34
Editorial handling
Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
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