Lyric Poem · Nature
The Rigs o’ Barley
by Robert Burns
1IT was upon a Lammas night,
2 When corn rigs are bonie,
3Beneath the moon’s unclouded light,
4 I held awa to Annie;
5The time flew by, wi’ tentless heed,
6 Till, ’tween the late and early,
7Wi’ sma’ persuasion she agreed
8 To see me thro’ the barley.
9Corn rigs, an’ barley rigs,
10 An’ corn rigs are bonie:
11I’ll ne’er forget that happy night,
12 Amang the rigs wi’ Annie.
13The sky was blue, the wind was still,
14 The moon was shining clearly;
15I set her down, wi’ right good will,
16 Amang the rigs o’ barley:
17I ken’t her heart was a’ my ain;
18 I lov’d her most sincerely;
19I kiss’d her owre and owre again,
20 Amang the rigs o’ barley.
21 Corn rigs, an’ barley rigs, &c.
22I lock’d her in my fond embrace;
23 Her heart was beating rarely:
24My blessings on that happy place,
25 Amang the rigs o’ barley!
26But by the moon and stars so bright,
27 That shone that hour so clearly!
28She aye shall bless that happy night
29 Amang the rigs o’ barley.
30 Corn rigs, an’ barley rigs, &c.
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“The Rigs o’ Barley” by Robert Burns — quilloak.com/poems/the-rigs-o-barley
Quick facts
- Poem
- The Rigs o’ Barley
- Poet
- Robert Burns
- Length
- 39 lines
- Form
- Lyric Poem
- Themes
- Nature, Love
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
- 39 lines · 5 stanzas of 4–9 lines
- Line length
- Lines run 6-8 syllables (median 7). No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.
- Refrains
- “Amang the rigs o’ barley:”“Amang the rigs o’ barley.”“Corn rigs, an’ barley rigs, &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
- PoetryDBThe Rigs o’ Barley 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 91bcbf7d67cdb3b3…
- Editorial handling
- Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.