‘Tam o' Shanter’
‘Tam o' Shanter’,a narrative poem by Burns , published 1791 .
Tam, a farmer, spends the cold evening of Ayr's market-day in a snug alehouse, where he becomes tipsy and amorous (‘Tam was glorious’). Eventually riding home, he passes the kirk of Alloway. Seeing it mysteriously lighted, he stops and looks in. Weird warlocks and witches are dancing to the sound of the bagpipes, played by Old Nick, the devil. Roused by the sight of one ‘winsome wench’ among the old beldams, Tam shouts to her. At once the lights go out and the horde of witches rush out in pursuit of Tam. Terrified, he wildly spurs his grey mare, Meg, and just reaches the middle of the bridge over the Doon before the girl catches him. Once over the middle of the bridge he is out of her power, but his mare's tail is still within the witches' jurisdiction, and this the girl pulls off. The narrative is swift, and both the humour and the horror are effectively conveyed.
[The entire page is 173 words long]
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