Famous Weel Poems by Famous Poets

These are examples of famous Weel poems written by some of the greatest and most-well-known modern and classical poets. PoetrySoup is a great educational poetry resource of famous weel poems. These examples illustrate what a famous weel poem looks like and its form, scheme, or style (where appropriate).

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1. Song—Handsome Nell

...e dresses aye sae clean and neat,
 Both decent and genteel;
And then there’s something in her gait
 Gars ony dress look weel.


A gaudy dress and gentle air
 May slightly touch the heart;
But it’s innocence and modesty
 That polishes the dart.


’Tis this in Nelly pleases me,
 ’Tis this enchants my soul;
For absolutely in my breast
 She reigns without control.


 Note 1. The first of my performances.—R. B. [back]...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert


10. The Ronalds of the Bennals

...n;
But ken ye the Ronalds that live in the Bennals,
 They carry the gree frae them a’, man.


Their father’s laird, and weel he can spare’t,
 Braid money to tocher them a’, man;
To proper young men, he’ll clink in the hand
 Gowd guineas a hunder or twa, man.


There’s ane they ca’ Jean, I’ll warrant ye’ve seen
 As bonie a lass or as braw, man;
But for sense and guid taste she’ll vie wi’ the best,
 And a conduct that beautifies a’, man.


The charms o’ the min’, the langer the...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert

106. To Gavin Hamilton Esq. Mauchline recommending a Boy

...be sae taught,
An’ get sic fair example straught,
 I hae na ony fear.
Ye’ll catechise him, every quirk,
 An’ shore him weel wi’ hell;
An’ gar him follow to the kirk—
 Aye when ye gang yoursel.
 If ye then maun be then
 Frae hame this comin’ Friday,
 Then please, sir, to lea’e, sir,
 The orders wi’ your lady.


My word of honour I hae gi’en,
In Paisley John’s, that night at e’en,
 To meet the warld’s worm;
To try to get the twa to gree,
An’ name the airles an’ the fee,
 In le...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert

11. Song—Here's to thy health my bonie lass

...t at twal’ at night, when the moon shines bright,
 My dear, I’ll come and see thee;
For the man that loves his mistress weel,
 Nae travel makes him weary....Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert

110. Epistle to a Young Friend

...tory tell,
 When wi’ a bosom crony;
But still keep something to yoursel’,
 Ye scarcely tell to ony:
Conceal yoursel’ as weel’s ye can
 Frae critical dissection;
But keek thro’ ev’ry other man,
 Wi’ sharpen’d, sly inspection.


The sacred lowe o’ weel-plac’d love,
 Luxuriantly indulge it;
But never tempt th’ illicit rove,
 Tho’ naething should divulge it:
I waive the quantum o’ the sin,
 The hazard of concealing;
But, Och! it hardens a’ within,
 And petrifies the feeling!


To...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert


112. A Dream

...rd an’ lady;
“God save the King” ’s a cuckoo sang
 That’s unco easy said aye:
The poets, too, a venal gang,
 Wi’ rhymes weel-turn’d an’ ready,
Wad gar you trow ye ne’er do wrang,
 But aye unerring steady,
 On sic a day.


For me! before a monarch’s face
 Ev’n there I winna flatter;
For neither pension, post, nor place,
 Am I your humble debtor:
So, nae reflection on your Grace,
 Your Kingship to bespatter;
There’s mony waur been o’ the race,
 And aiblins ane been better
 Than...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert

113. A Dedication to Gavin Hamilton Esq

...just sic Poet an’ sic Patron.


 The Poet, some guid angel help him,
Or else, I fear, some ill ane skelp him!
He may do weel for a’ he’s done yet,
But only—he’s no just begun yet.


 The Patron (sir, ye maun forgie me;
I winna lie, come what will o’ me),
On ev’ry hand it will allow’d be,
He’s just—nae better than he should be.


 I readily and freely grant,
He downa see a poor man want;
What’s no his ain, he winna tak it;
What ance he says, he winna break it;
Ought he can len...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert

116. On a Scotch Bard gone to the West Indies

...mair he’ll join the merry roar;
 In social key;
For now he’s taen anither shore.
 An’ owre the sea!


The bonie lasses weel may wiss him,
And in their dear petitions place him:
The widows, wives, an’ a’ may bless him
 Wi’ tearfu’ e’e;
For weel I wat they’ll sairly miss him
 That’s owre the sea!


O Fortune, they hae room to grumble!
Hadst thou taen aff some drowsy bummle,
Wha can do nought but fyke an’ fumble,
 ’Twad been nae plea;
But he was gleg as ony wumble,
 That’s owre...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert

133. The Brigs of Ayr

...raceless Gentry,
The herryment and ruin of the country;
Men, three-parts made by tailors and by barbers,
Wha waste your weel-hain’d gear on d—’d new brigs and harbours!”


NEW BRIG “Now haud you there! for faith ye’ve said enough,
And muckle mair than ye can mak to through.
As for your Priesthood, I shall say but little,
Corbies and Clergy are a shot right kittle:
But, under favour o’ your langer beard,
Abuse o’ Magistrates might weel be spar’d;
To liken them to your auld-war...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert

68. The Holy Fair

...-milk cheese, in mony a whang,
 An’ farls, bak’d wi’ butter,
 Fu’ crump that day.


When by the plate we set our nose,
 Weel heaped up wi’ ha’pence,
A greedy glowr black-bonnet throws,
 An’ we maun draw our tippence.
Then in we go to see the show:
 On ev’ry side they’re gath’rin;
Some carrying dails, some chairs an’ stools,
 An’ some are busy bleth’rin
 Right loud that day.


Here stands a shed to fend the show’rs,
 An’ screen our countra gentry;
There “Racer Jess, 2 an’ twa-...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert

75. Halloween

...ey’re fine;
Their faces blythe, fu’ sweetly kythe,
 Hearts leal, an’ warm, an’ kin’:
The lads sae trig, wi’ wooer-babs
 Weel-knotted on their garten;
Some unco blate, an’ some wi’ gabs
 Gar lasses’ hearts gang startin
 Whiles fast at night.


Then, first an’ foremost, thro’ the kail,
 Their stocks 5 maun a’ be sought ance;
They steek their een, and grape an’ wale
 For muckle anes, an’ straught anes.
Poor hav’rel Will fell aff the drift,
 An’ wandered thro’ the bow-kail,
An’ p...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert

80. The Jolly Beggars: A Cantata

...ed an’ they sang,
 Wi’ jumping an’ thumping,
 The vera girdle rang,


First, neist the fire, in auld red rags,
Ane sat, weel brac’d wi’ mealy bags,
 And knapsack a’ in order;
His doxy lay within his arm;
Wi’ usquebae an’ blankets warm
 She blinkit on her sodger;
An’ aye he gies the tozie drab
 The tither skelpin’ kiss,
While she held up her greedy gab,
 Just like an aumous dish;
 Ilk smack still, did crack still,
 Just like a cadger’s whip;
 Then staggering an’ swaggering
 He...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert

83. The Cotter's Saturday Night

...o help her parents dear, if they in hardship be.


With joy unfeign’d, brothers and sisters meet,
 And each for other’s weelfare kindly speirs:
The social hours, swift-wing’d, unnotic’d fleet:
 Each tells the uncos that he sees or hears.
 The parents, partial, eye their hopeful years;
Anticipation forward points the view;
 The mother, wi’ her needle and her shears,
Gars auld claes look amaist as weel’s the new;
The father mixes a’ wi’ admonition due.


Their master’s and thei...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert

87. The Twa Dogs

...eugh or dyke.
His honest, sonsie, baws’nt face
Aye gat him friends in ilka place;
His breast was white, his touzie back
Weel clad wi’ coat o’ glossy black;
His gawsie tail, wi’ upward curl,
Hung owre his hurdie’s wi’ a swirl.
 Nae doubt but they were fain o’ ither,
And unco pack an’ thick thegither;
Wi’ social nose whiles snuff’d an’ snowkit;
Whiles mice an’ moudieworts they howkit;
Whiles scour’d awa’ in lang excursion,
An’ worry’d ither in diversion;
Until wi’ daffin’ weary...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert

A Red, Red Rose

...will love thess till, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run:

And fare thee well, my only luve!
And fare thee weel, a while!
And I will come again, my luve,
Tho' it ware ten thousand mile....Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert

Bonny Dundee

...are rung backward, the drums they are beat;
But the Provost, douce man, said, ‘Just e’en let him be, 
The Gude Town is weel quit of that Deil of Dundee.’ 
Come fill up my cup, etc. 

As he rode down the sanctified bends of the Bow, 
Ilk carline was flyting and shaking her pow; 
But the young plants of grace they looked couthie and slee, 
Thinking luck to thy bonnet, thou Bonny Dundee! 
Come fill up my cup, etc. 

With sour-featured Whigs the Grass-market was crammed, 
As if ...Read more of this...
by Scott, Sir Walter

Snail Poem

...hoise but the grave, so cat & sheep are daisey
 turned.
Train will tug my grave, my breath hueing gentil vapor
 between weel & track.
So kitten string & ball, jumpe over this mound so
 gently & cutely
So my toe can curl & become a snail & go curiousely
 on its way.

1958 NYC...Read more of this...
by Orlovsky, Peter

Tam OShanter

...honest men and bonie lasses).

O Tam! hadst thou but been sae wise,
As ta'en thy ain wife Kate's advice!
She tauld thee weel thou was a skellum,
A blethering, blustering, drunken blellum,
That frae November till October,
Ae market-day thou was nae sober;
That ilka melder, wi' the miller,
Thou sat as lang as thou had siller;
That ev'ry naig was ca'd a shoe on,
The smith and thee gat roarin fou on;
That at the Lord's house, ev'n on Sunday,
Thou drank wi' Kirkton Jean till Monda...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert

The Haggis Of Private McPhee

...e McPhee sadly shakit his heid:
"If we bide here for lang, we'll be bidin' for deid.
And yet, Geordie lad, I could gang weel content
If I'd tasted that haggis ma auld mither sent."
"That's droll," says McPhun; "ye've jist speakit ma mind.
Oh I ken it's a terrible thing tae be blind;
And yet it's no that that embitters ma lot--
It's missin' that braw muckle haggis ye've got."
For a while they were silent; then up once again
Spoke Private McPhee, though he whussilt wi' pain:
"A...Read more of this...
by Service, Robert William

The Knights Tale

...ge; *back and front armour*
And some will have a Prusse* shield, or targe; *Prussian
Some will be armed on their legges weel;
Some have an axe, and some a mace of steel.
There is no newe guise*, but it was old. *fashion
Armed they weren, as I have you told,
Evereach after his opinion.
There may'st thou see coming with Palamon
Licurgus himself, the great king of Thrace:
Black was his beard, and manly was his face.
The circles of his eyen in his head
They glowed betwixte yellow...Read more of this...
by Chaucer, Geoffrey

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