But pleasures are like poppies spread,
You seize the flow'r, its bloom is shed;
Or like the snow-falls in the river,
A moment white–then melts forever . . .
. . .
Or like the rainbow's lovely form
Evanishing amid the storm.–
Nae man can tether time or tide;
The hour approaches Tam maun ride;
That hour o' night's black arch the key-stane,
That dreary hour Tam mounts his beast in;
And sic a night he taks the road in,
As ne'er poor sinner was abroad in.

Robert Burns artfully captures the ephemeral nature of life's pleasures and the inexorable passage of time in these lines from "Tam O'Shanter." He likens fleeting joys to poppies that lose their bloom upon being picked, snow melting into a river, and rainbows that vanish amidst storms. These similes emphasize the transient beauty of pleasure, underscoring the idea that such moments are as uncontrollable as the tides. The phrase, "Nae man can tether time or tide," serves as a poignant reminder of human powerlessness against time’s relentless march. As Tam realizes the lateness of the hour, he is compelled to return home through a storm, symbolizing the inevitable return to reality after indulgence. Burns skillfully uses Tam’s predicament to illustrate a universal truth about mortality and the illusions of control, making this passage timeless in its reflection on the human condition.