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Lyric Poem · Nature

Composed in Spring

by Robert Burns

AGAIN rejoicing Nature sees

Her robe assume its vernal hues:

Her leafy locks wave in the breeze,

All freshly steep’d in morning dews.

Chorus.—And maun I still on Menie doat,

And bear the scorn that’s in her e’e?

For it’s jet, jet black, an’ it’s like a hawk,

An’ it winna let a body be.

In vain to me the cowslips blaw,

In vain to me the vi’lets spring;

In vain to me in glen or shaw,

The mavis and the lintwhite sing.

And maun I still, &c.

The merry ploughboy cheers his team,

Wi’ joy the tentie seedsman stalks;

But life to me’s a weary dream,

A dream of ane that never wauks.

And maun I still, &c.

The wanton coot the water skims,

Amang the reeds the ducklings cry,

The stately swan majestic swims,

And ev’ry thing is blest but I.

And maun I still, &c.

The sheep-herd steeks his faulding slap,

And o’er the moorlands whistles shill:

Wi’ wild, unequal, wand’ring step,

I meet him on the dewy hill.

And maun I still, &c.

And when the lark, ’tween light and dark,

Blythe waukens by the daisy’s side,

And mounts and sings on flittering wings,

A woe-worn ghaist I hameward glide.

And maun I still, &c.

Come winter, with thine angry howl,

And raging, bend the naked tree;

Thy gloom will soothe my cheerless soul,

When nature all is sad like me!

And maun I still, &c.

Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.

Quick facts

Poem
Composed in Spring
Poet
Robert Burns
Length
38 lines
Form
Lyric Poem
Themes
Nature, Spring, Dreams & Sleep

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
38 lines · 8 stanzas of 4–5 lines
Line length
Mostly 8-syllable lines (tetrameter length).
Refrain
And maun I still, &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
PoetryDBComposed in Spring 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 caa749c0149ba7c8
Editorial handling
Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
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