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Sweet Afton - a Song

Key details

Archive number
NTS/02/25/BRN/02/169
Alt. number
3.6215.j
Date
1791
On display
Yes
Creator
Burns, Robert (Author)
Recipient
Stewart, Mrs Alexander

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Description

Sweet Afton - a Song, Part of the Afton manuscript collection.

This is a two-page poem which Burns first enclosed in a letter to Mrs Dunlop dated 5 February 1789 and whose first line is 'Flow gently sweet Afton, among thy green braes'. The six verse lyrics were to be one of Burns's contributions to Johnson's Scots Musical Museum.

In the poem, Burns imagines his lady-love Mary asleep on the banks of the Afton burn, concerned that the clamour of the calling of the doves, blackbirds and green plovers will disturb her dreams. He then envisages the shepherd on the neighbouring hills looking down on the Afton valley below, and in the evening conjures up the sights and fragrance of the primrose and birch covering its banks.

In verse 5 on page 47 Burns describes a favourite image of paddling in the burn and finishes in verse 6 with almost a refrain of the first verse.

This particular manuscript is part of the Afton Manuscript collection. This collection of thirteen poems was presented by Robert to Mrs Alexander Stewart of Stair in 1791.

Archive information


Hierarchy

  1. Robert Burns, collection of poems and songs ( )
  2. Sweet Afton - a Song

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