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Tam o' Shanter
Tam O'Shanter is a very famous poem published by Robert Burns in 1791. It's considered a classic poem and was written in a mix of English and Scots. The poem concerns a Scotsman who, on his way home late one night, comes across a hellish supernatural scene.
This ISBN (9780907526506) refers to the Alloway Publishing printed edition of the poem.
This ISBN (9780907526506) refers to the Alloway Publishing printed edition of the poem.
20 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1791
11 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
About the author
Robert Burns
2,556 books352 followersRobert Burns (also known as Robin) was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language. He also wrote in English and a "light" Scots, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland.
He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement and after his death became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism. A cultural icon in Scotland and among the Scottish Diaspora around the world, celebration of his life and work became almost a national charismatic cult during the 19th and 20th centuries, and his influence has long been strong on Scottish literature.
As well as making original compositions, Burns collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them. His Auld Lang Syne is often sung at Hogmanay (the last day of the year), and Scots Wha Hae has served as an unofficial national anthem. Other poems and songs of Burns that remain well-known across the world today, include A Red, Red Rose, A Man's A Man for A' That, To a Louse, To a Mouse, The Battle of Sherramuir, Tam o' Shanter and Ae Fond Kiss.
He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement and after his death became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism. A cultural icon in Scotland and among the Scottish Diaspora around the world, celebration of his life and work became almost a national charismatic cult during the 19th and 20th centuries, and his influence has long been strong on Scottish literature.
As well as making original compositions, Burns collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them. His Auld Lang Syne is often sung at Hogmanay (the last day of the year), and Scots Wha Hae has served as an unofficial national anthem. Other poems and songs of Burns that remain well-known across the world today, include A Red, Red Rose, A Man's A Man for A' That, To a Louse, To a Mouse, The Battle of Sherramuir, Tam o' Shanter and Ae Fond Kiss.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
October 27, 2019
I don’t normally read poetry, but with Halloween coming up I decided to revisit this famous piece by Robert Burns, which I last read in school.
Tam o’ Shanter is a variant of the story in which a man rides home alone on a dark, stormy night and is attacked by demonic creatures. He must reach a bridge to make it to safety, since by common agreement supernatural beings cannot cross running water. Burns said openly that the poem, first published in 1791, was adapted from a local folktale from Ayrshire, the part of Scotland where he grew up. Similar tales are apparently known in other parts of Northern Europe.
This wonderfully descriptive poem mixes comic and horror elements, the former deriving from Tam being a habitual drunkard. On the night in question, Tam is in the town of Ayr, drinking with his friend Soutar Johnny. I imagine many of us (the men anyway) will recognise ourselves in the following:
“Kings may be blest, but Tam was glorious.
O'er a' the ills o' life victorious!”
All good things must end. Tam must take his sturdy mare, Meg, or Maggie, and make his way home on a very stormy night, past the ruined kirk (church) at Alloway. The kirk is a place of sinister happenings, and as Tam approaches he rides past the sites of murders and suicides. Sure enough, at the kirk he comes across the Deil (the Devil) presiding over a dance of witches and demons.
Burns was known for having an eye for the ladies, and he conjures up a scene in which the witches cast off their outer clothes and dance only in their undergarments. Most of the witches are old, but there is one young woman who has only that night joined the ranks of the undead. Seeing her dance in just a short undershirt, the drunken Tam cannot resist a shout of “Weel done, Cutty Sark!” *
“And scarcely had he Maggie rallied,
When out the hellish legion sallied.”
Will Maggie get Tam to the bridge in time to save himself? Pretty much everyone of my generation who went to school in Scotland will know the answer. As the reader will have noticed, the poem is written in old Scots dialect, and non-Scots may enjoy it best if they have a version in standard English to check on the meaning of words. There are multiple copies available on the web.
Tam o’ Shanter is so vivid it is almost cinematic. A Halloween treat!
* Cutty Sark = “Short shirt”
Tam o’ Shanter is a variant of the story in which a man rides home alone on a dark, stormy night and is attacked by demonic creatures. He must reach a bridge to make it to safety, since by common agreement supernatural beings cannot cross running water. Burns said openly that the poem, first published in 1791, was adapted from a local folktale from Ayrshire, the part of Scotland where he grew up. Similar tales are apparently known in other parts of Northern Europe.
This wonderfully descriptive poem mixes comic and horror elements, the former deriving from Tam being a habitual drunkard. On the night in question, Tam is in the town of Ayr, drinking with his friend Soutar Johnny. I imagine many of us (the men anyway) will recognise ourselves in the following:
“Kings may be blest, but Tam was glorious.
O'er a' the ills o' life victorious!”
All good things must end. Tam must take his sturdy mare, Meg, or Maggie, and make his way home on a very stormy night, past the ruined kirk (church) at Alloway. The kirk is a place of sinister happenings, and as Tam approaches he rides past the sites of murders and suicides. Sure enough, at the kirk he comes across the Deil (the Devil) presiding over a dance of witches and demons.
Burns was known for having an eye for the ladies, and he conjures up a scene in which the witches cast off their outer clothes and dance only in their undergarments. Most of the witches are old, but there is one young woman who has only that night joined the ranks of the undead. Seeing her dance in just a short undershirt, the drunken Tam cannot resist a shout of “Weel done, Cutty Sark!” *
“And scarcely had he Maggie rallied,
When out the hellish legion sallied.”
Will Maggie get Tam to the bridge in time to save himself? Pretty much everyone of my generation who went to school in Scotland will know the answer. As the reader will have noticed, the poem is written in old Scots dialect, and non-Scots may enjoy it best if they have a version in standard English to check on the meaning of words. There are multiple copies available on the web.
Tam o’ Shanter is so vivid it is almost cinematic. A Halloween treat!
* Cutty Sark = “Short shirt”
November 1, 2019
I read a translation of Tam O'Shanter by Jim Smith after reading the review by my Goodreads friend Ian. I could not find this particular edition on Goodreads. It came with illustrations of The Old Market Cross at Ayr and other scenes from the poem.
As someone who enjoys his beer, Tam O'Shanter was like music to my ears. It made me wish I was born in Scotland and not in a conservative country like India. The poem begins with some awesome scenes of Tam living it up in a pub with his best friend Cobbler Johnny. It has some of the best descriptions of the drunken state:
"Care, mad to see him full of cheer,
Even drowned himself among the beer.
As bees fly home with loads of treasure,
The minutes winged their way with pleasure;
Kings may be blessed but Tam was glorious,
O'er all the ills of life victorious."
But as all tipplers know, the good times must end:
"But pleasures are like poppies spread:
You seize the flower, its bloom is shed;
Or like the snow falls in the river,
A moment white - then melts forever"
Then as the drunk Tam rides home on his horse to his naggy wife Kate, the poem turns into horror. He is chased by witches who dance until they sweat. But they are not particularly pretty or anything. There is one beautiful witch among them who wears a cutty sark (means a short undergarment; I can show off next time someone wonders what cutty sark means) and helps Tam and his horse cross the Doon bridge. The horse does lose its tail at the hands of a witch during its jump across the bridge.
The poem ends with a warning to all men who are inclined to drink and whose minds are haunted by cutty sarks.
"Now, who this tale of truth shall read,
Each man, and mother's son, take heed:
Whene'er to drink you are inclined,
Or cutty-sarks run in your mind,
Those joys may cost too much, take care:
Remember Tam o' Shanter's mare."
I thought the whole poem was quite tongue in cheek. I wonder why a film has not been made based on it. Like Ian pointed out, it is very cinematic. Tam and his friends having a good time getting drunk at a pub while his wife waits at home. Tam hooking up with the landlady. His return home on a horse during a thunderous night across bogs and mires. An attack by dancing singing witches. Finally his escape.
Some old obscure words that I discovered in the poem:
ingle - fireplace
meikle - giant
usquabae - whiskey, liquor
winnock bunker - window seat
carlin - witch, hag
duddies - clothes
As someone who enjoys his beer, Tam O'Shanter was like music to my ears. It made me wish I was born in Scotland and not in a conservative country like India. The poem begins with some awesome scenes of Tam living it up in a pub with his best friend Cobbler Johnny. It has some of the best descriptions of the drunken state:
"Care, mad to see him full of cheer,
Even drowned himself among the beer.
As bees fly home with loads of treasure,
The minutes winged their way with pleasure;
Kings may be blessed but Tam was glorious,
O'er all the ills of life victorious."
But as all tipplers know, the good times must end:
"But pleasures are like poppies spread:
You seize the flower, its bloom is shed;
Or like the snow falls in the river,
A moment white - then melts forever"
Then as the drunk Tam rides home on his horse to his naggy wife Kate, the poem turns into horror. He is chased by witches who dance until they sweat. But they are not particularly pretty or anything. There is one beautiful witch among them who wears a cutty sark (means a short undergarment; I can show off next time someone wonders what cutty sark means) and helps Tam and his horse cross the Doon bridge. The horse does lose its tail at the hands of a witch during its jump across the bridge.
The poem ends with a warning to all men who are inclined to drink and whose minds are haunted by cutty sarks.
"Now, who this tale of truth shall read,
Each man, and mother's son, take heed:
Whene'er to drink you are inclined,
Or cutty-sarks run in your mind,
Those joys may cost too much, take care:
Remember Tam o' Shanter's mare."
I thought the whole poem was quite tongue in cheek. I wonder why a film has not been made based on it. Like Ian pointed out, it is very cinematic. Tam and his friends having a good time getting drunk at a pub while his wife waits at home. Tam hooking up with the landlady. His return home on a horse during a thunderous night across bogs and mires. An attack by dancing singing witches. Finally his escape.
Some old obscure words that I discovered in the poem:
ingle - fireplace
meikle - giant
usquabae - whiskey, liquor
winnock bunker - window seat
carlin - witch, hag
duddies - clothes
September 18, 2017
I've tried in the past to read various works by Burns, but the dialect was always too much for me. However, for some forgotten reason this poem was on my poetry list for this year. I haven't done as much with my 2017 poetry reading as I expected back when I prepared my challenge list, but I thought I would give this a go today since I wanted something short before being away from my computer for a few days.
Tam was a notorious drunk, spending from November to October drowning his sorrows with his friends. His wife warns him that someday he will end up drowned or caught by the devil, but of course he pays no attention. One stormy night when he leaves the pub, riding his horse Meg, he sees Satan and a covey of witches dancing with some newly dead murderers, and becomes entranced by one young witch in particular, who moves with such grace that he cannot keep himself from cheering. Of course immediately the group all run after him, and poor Meg pays the first price of Tam's foolishness, before Tam himself settles the rest of the bill.
Basically this is a poem warning people not to drink to excess. It was actually quite exciting and not all that hard to understand, so maybe someday I will try other poems by Burns to see if I have been cheating myself of something interesting by avoiding him all these years.
Tam was a notorious drunk, spending from November to October drowning his sorrows with his friends. His wife warns him that someday he will end up drowned or caught by the devil, but of course he pays no attention. One stormy night when he leaves the pub, riding his horse Meg, he sees Satan and a covey of witches dancing with some newly dead murderers, and becomes entranced by one young witch in particular, who moves with such grace that he cannot keep himself from cheering. Of course immediately the group all run after him, and poor Meg pays the first price of Tam's foolishness, before Tam himself settles the rest of the bill.
Basically this is a poem warning people not to drink to excess. It was actually quite exciting and not all that hard to understand, so maybe someday I will try other poems by Burns to see if I have been cheating myself of something interesting by avoiding him all these years.
May 1, 2014
I can relate to Tam the man who goes home drunk late at night. I sometimes drink and drive drunk. Not a big deal though because the places I get drunk at are normally just a 5-minute drive home. Still dangerous but with Manila's traffic even during late night when cars can run at turtle's speed make it a bit of an adventure. I hope my wife will not read this review. Otherwise, she will tell me to have a serious talk with her.
Tam O'Shanter is the story of Tam who on one night while riding his horse Meg is so drunk he sees supernatural beings, i.e., witches, warlocks and devils, chasing him. So he speeds up his horse-driven cart but the poor horse does not want to cross the river so the drunk man pulls the tail of the horse until they get to the bridge and so they were able to flee from the chasing creatures.
The poem is long and hard to understand when read at normal speed. You have to slow down and understand the meaning of the words that are full of Scottish terms. The trick is to read it aloud and pretend that you have a British or Scottish accent hehe. In that way, you get all those clipped words and then you will have more fun because you sound like a trying hard idiot and you can emphatise with Pam who goes home drunk not knowing that drinking and driving (a horse in his case) is dangerous. Oh, that is the reason why I liked this long poem. This first came out in 1790 and it is now 2014 and so 224 years after, the lesson of the poem still applies: don't drink and drive.
And I should take heed hehe.
Tam O'Shanter is the story of Tam who on one night while riding his horse Meg is so drunk he sees supernatural beings, i.e., witches, warlocks and devils, chasing him. So he speeds up his horse-driven cart but the poor horse does not want to cross the river so the drunk man pulls the tail of the horse until they get to the bridge and so they were able to flee from the chasing creatures.
The poem is long and hard to understand when read at normal speed. You have to slow down and understand the meaning of the words that are full of Scottish terms. The trick is to read it aloud and pretend that you have a British or Scottish accent hehe. In that way, you get all those clipped words and then you will have more fun because you sound like a trying hard idiot and you can emphatise with Pam who goes home drunk not knowing that drinking and driving (a horse in his case) is dangerous. Oh, that is the reason why I liked this long poem. This first came out in 1790 and it is now 2014 and so 224 years after, the lesson of the poem still applies: don't drink and drive.
And I should take heed hehe.
January 8, 2024
"O Tam! had'st thou but beensae wise,
As ta'en thy ain wife Kate's advice!
She tauld thee weel thou was a skellum,
A blethering,blustering,drunken blellum;
A great halloween tale but nice to also read just before i sing Auld Lang Syne as the end of 2023 approaches!
A classic that is wild with witches and ghouls and great to read on a dark, spooky night. Be warned💀
As ta'en thy ain wife Kate's advice!
She tauld thee weel thou was a skellum,
A blethering,blustering,drunken blellum;
A great halloween tale but nice to also read just before i sing Auld Lang Syne as the end of 2023 approaches!
A classic that is wild with witches and ghouls and great to read on a dark, spooky night. Be warned💀
July 6, 2023
As much as I like the idea of saving this for Burns Night, I've known a lot of people who like to read it around Halloween. I'm a few days late, but this was so vivid. I'll say I mixed up Burns Night with Guy Fawkes night, shall I?
Aided in part by Karen Dunbar's fabulous performance, and the corresponding sound effects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkCkm...
Aided in part by Karen Dunbar's fabulous performance, and the corresponding sound effects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkCkm...
April 27, 2022
Planning ahead for term and reading this for the first time. Ribaldrous, transgressive, brimming in every line and turn of phrase with devilishly playful and rebellious energy. The best Scots poem I've ever read.
November 13, 2025
tam o' shanter, you're for the streets!
October 28, 2022
2020. Yearly reread and it makes my October when I return to it
I adore this poem. Not being the hugest fan of Burns I have always been completely taken in by the tale he tells of old Tam O'Shanter. I've always found this to be the perfect poem to read near Halloween, when the nights grow dark and cold
I adore this poem. Not being the hugest fan of Burns I have always been completely taken in by the tale he tells of old Tam O'Shanter. I've always found this to be the perfect poem to read near Halloween, when the nights grow dark and cold
January 4, 2015
Sometimes you love something, and it's hard to define exactly why.
A drunk guy stays out late, disregarding his wife's advice, and in riding his horse toward home, he comes upon a gruesome gathering of witches and warlocks. That's the idea behind this poem, but the language is captivating, and it's funny in a way, and it's great!
Scotland fascinates me, and I would love to visit someday. Til then, I read the poems of Robert Burns, full of Scottish words and sayings, and while I may not understand some things, I get the general idea.
A drunk guy stays out late, disregarding his wife's advice, and in riding his horse toward home, he comes upon a gruesome gathering of witches and warlocks. That's the idea behind this poem, but the language is captivating, and it's funny in a way, and it's great!
Scotland fascinates me, and I would love to visit someday. Til then, I read the poems of Robert Burns, full of Scottish words and sayings, and while I may not understand some things, I get the general idea.
March 24, 2016
Potentially ruined it for myself by trying to read it aloud with a Scottish accent (terrible, sorry Mr Burns).
Fave lines:
"The wind blew as 'twad blawn its last:
The rattling showers rose on the blast;
The speedy gleams the darkness swallow'd;
Loud, deep, and lang the thunder bellow'd;
That night, a child might understand,
The Deil had business on his hand."
Fave lines:
"The wind blew as 'twad blawn its last:
The rattling showers rose on the blast;
The speedy gleams the darkness swallow'd;
Loud, deep, and lang the thunder bellow'd;
That night, a child might understand,
The Deil had business on his hand."
September 14, 2012
My absolute favorite story! I love the words and the rhythm.
January 5, 2013
It's one of those poems you need to read, Scottish or not it is a good read
February 28, 2014
A reekit rollicking romp!
September 24, 2015
HA! Very good.
November 24, 2017
I actually didn't enjoy this poem very much, as the continual bouncing between standard English and Scots-English is both confusing and frustrating.
May 26, 2019
Read this with Adam, the best way to puzzle through the dialect bits. This text is in the 1938 textbook Understanding Poetry, along with two questions I address below:
There are points at which the voice of the narrator makes comments that reveal his attitude towards Tam. The very first lines, in fact, speak not of a ‘we’ who “sit bousin, at the nappy, and getting fou and unco happy,” to emphasize that the narrator has the habit of evening drinking in common with Tam — as well as a “sullen dame” at home who will likely give her husband a taste of her “wrath,” when he gets home.
There is humorous irony, then, in the second substantial comment, which is that Tam should have minded his wife, Kate, when she warned him that drinking late before heading home meant risking an encounter with those “warlocks in the mirk,/by Alloway’s auld haunted kirk.” Which is of course exactly what happens to Tam. So the narrator relates to Tam and finds him an “honest” fellow, but laments his lack of wisdom.
The overall effect of the poem might be described as an amusing play between the pleasures of seeing young women dancing, clad only in their “cutty sarks,” on the one hand, which blends with the novel and extraordinary scene of such an erotic opportunity in the middle of the night, and in turn finally into the horror, the fear of an utterly malign Devil (“Deil’”) who will snatch Tam’s soul and drag him to damnation. Evidently the harsh moralism of the old John-Knox Scots lies at the center of this folksy, whimsical ballad of a man who falls easily to temptation. But what in Knox’s day was the living, harsh reality of life has by the 1790s mellowed to folk ballad. One can’t help but think of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” from 1820 but representing a similar historical moment for the Americans.
There are points at which the voice of the narrator makes comments that reveal his attitude towards Tam. The very first lines, in fact, speak not of a ‘we’ who “sit bousin, at the nappy, and getting fou and unco happy,” to emphasize that the narrator has the habit of evening drinking in common with Tam — as well as a “sullen dame” at home who will likely give her husband a taste of her “wrath,” when he gets home.
There is humorous irony, then, in the second substantial comment, which is that Tam should have minded his wife, Kate, when she warned him that drinking late before heading home meant risking an encounter with those “warlocks in the mirk,/by Alloway’s auld haunted kirk.” Which is of course exactly what happens to Tam. So the narrator relates to Tam and finds him an “honest” fellow, but laments his lack of wisdom.
The overall effect of the poem might be described as an amusing play between the pleasures of seeing young women dancing, clad only in their “cutty sarks,” on the one hand, which blends with the novel and extraordinary scene of such an erotic opportunity in the middle of the night, and in turn finally into the horror, the fear of an utterly malign Devil (“Deil’”) who will snatch Tam’s soul and drag him to damnation. Evidently the harsh moralism of the old John-Knox Scots lies at the center of this folksy, whimsical ballad of a man who falls easily to temptation. But what in Knox’s day was the living, harsh reality of life has by the 1790s mellowed to folk ballad. One can’t help but think of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” from 1820 but representing a similar historical moment for the Americans.
October 31, 2024
It seemed like a good day (today is Halloween) to read this short poem by Robert Burns. This is a similar tale to the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, with the location being Scotland instead. While out on a night of copious liquor consumption, our protagonist is making his way home when he is not confronted by a headless horseman but the Devil....playing bagpipes (truly hell, indeed), and then chased by witches.
It is a bit of a difficult read as Burns writes as he speaks....with a heavy Scottish brogue. However, it is a short poem and, if you enjoy the Ichabod story (albeit with a slightly more optimistic ending), it is a decent Halloween read.
It is a bit of a difficult read as Burns writes as he speaks....with a heavy Scottish brogue. However, it is a short poem and, if you enjoy the Ichabod story (albeit with a slightly more optimistic ending), it is a decent Halloween read.
January 30, 2020
This is such a spooky wee tale. Despite being Scottish, my schools never discussed Robert Burns in much detail. It’s a shame because he is phenomenal. Reading the poem reminds me a lot of how my paternal grandmother and maternal grandfather speak, people don’t speak like this these days. It’s a wee shame. There is such rich expression to be found in Scots.
January 28, 2023
Doing a Burns Night three days late, because it just sucks to have January 25 fall in the middle of the week (and, we’ll, it was my sister-in-law’s 50th birthday, so we celebrated that). I grabbed the Almost Tangible full-cast audio version from my library, which is just exceptional and was a great accompaniment whilst I prepared the haggis.
June 12, 2024
dark, but insightful. like hey kids, don't be like Tam.
also hilarious.
YouTube BBC Scotland performed by Karen Dunbar is fantastic to get the full Scottish effect. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkCkm...
also hilarious.
YouTube BBC Scotland performed by Karen Dunbar is fantastic to get the full Scottish effect. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkCkm...
March 25, 2018
Wow...that was challenging to read! But a great story.
November 13, 2019
A very enjoyable read
A very wonderful read that had my heart shaking by the middle of the book. I was left very shocked.
A very wonderful read that had my heart shaking by the middle of the book. I was left very shocked.
December 28, 2019
Fantastic and unexpected! A truly vivid and engaging version of the well known poem, sure to engage comic lovers and reluctant readers alike. The artwork is stunning!
March 29, 2020
The writing itself is fine, technically well done.
Hard to read, though, because it’s written in an older Scottish dialect.
I didn’t like the story, so that’s why it gets only the okay.
Hard to read, though, because it’s written in an older Scottish dialect.
I didn’t like the story, so that’s why it gets only the okay.
February 8, 2022
always willing to read about a witches’ reel. especially nice to read having visited brig o’ doon a few weeks ago, did not see any witches, warlocks, or the devil though.
October 30, 2022
Supernatural, gothic - all the cool shit.
April 11, 2023
Tam O’ Shanter. A Tale – a poem of horror from the Scottish legend.
June 24, 2025
Thank you Janis for teaching us to say: “boozing at the nappy” in a non-American accent
July 31, 2025
Obviously ridiculously great poem. Folky fun and frivolous, my favourite!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews