"Ae Fond Kiss" is a poem by Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet, that was written in 1791 and published in 1792. The poem, which describes two lovers parting, was sent by Burns to a woman he loved just before she left Scotland, never to see Burns again. The poem has the highly regular structure, meter, and rhyme scheme of a song lyric, and Burns intended it to be set to the tune of a Scottish folk song.
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The Full Text of “Ae Fond Kiss”
1Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;
2Ae fareweel, and then forever!
3Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,
4Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.
5Who shall say that Fortune grieves him,
6While the star of hope she leaves him?
7Me, nae cheerfu' twinkle lights me;
8Dark despair around benights me.
9I'll ne'er blame my partial fancy,
10Naething could resist my Nancy;
11But to see her was to love her;
12Love but her, and love forever.
13Had we never lov'd sae kindly,
14Had we never lov'd sae blindly,
15Never met—or never parted—
16We had ne'er been broken-hearted.
17Fare thee weel, thou first and fairest!
18Fare thee weel, thou best and dearest!
19Thine be ilka joy and treasure,
20Peace, enjoyment, love, and pleasure!
21Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;
22Ae fareweel, alas, forever!
23Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,
24Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee!
The Full Text of “Ae Fond Kiss”
1Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;
2Ae fareweel, and then forever!
3Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,
4Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.
5Who shall say that Fortune grieves him,
6While the star of hope she leaves him?
7Me, nae cheerfu' twinkle lights me;
8Dark despair around benights me.
9I'll ne'er blame my partial fancy,
10Naething could resist my Nancy;
11But to see her was to love her;
12Love but her, and love forever.
13Had we never lov'd sae kindly,
14Had we never lov'd sae blindly,
15Never met—or never parted—
16We had ne'er been broken-hearted.
17Fare thee weel, thou first and fairest!
18Fare thee weel, thou best and dearest!
19Thine be ilka joy and treasure,
20Peace, enjoyment, love, and pleasure!
21Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;
22Ae fareweel, alas, forever!
23Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,
24Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee!
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“Ae Fond Kiss” Summary
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“Ae Fond Kiss” Themes
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The Cost of Love
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Love and Selflessness
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Ae Fond Kiss”
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Lines 1-4
Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;
Ae fareweel, and then forever!
Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,
Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee. -
Lines 5-8
Who shall say that Fortune grieves him,
While the star of hope she leaves him?
Me, nae cheerfu' twinkle lights me;
Dark despair around benights me. -
Lines 9-12
I'll ne'er blame my partial fancy,
Naething could resist my Nancy;
But to see her was to love her;
Love but her, and love forever. -
Lines 13-16
Had we never lov'd sae kindly,
Had we never lov'd sae blindly,
Never met—or never parted—
We had ne'er been broken-hearted. -
Lines 17-20
Fare thee weel, thou first and fairest!
Fare thee weel, thou best and dearest!
Thine be ilka joy and treasure,
Peace, enjoyment, love, and pleasure! -
Lines 21-24
Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;
Ae fareweel, alas, forever!
Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,
Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee!
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“Ae Fond Kiss” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Parallelism
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Antithesis
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Epistrophe
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Anaphora
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Diacope
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Extended Metaphor
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Refrain
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Consonance
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Caesura
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Rhetorical Question
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“Ae Fond Kiss” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Ae
- Sever
- Fareweel
- Heart-wrung
- Pledge
- Thee
- Wage
- Nae
- Cheerfu'
- Lights me
- Benights
- Ne'er
- Partial
- Fancy
- Naething
- But
- Lov'd
- Sae
- Kindly
- Weel
- Thou
- Thine
- Ilka
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- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Ae Fond Kiss”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Ae Fond Kiss” Speaker
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“Ae Fond Kiss” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Ae Fond Kiss”
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More “Ae Fond Kiss” Resources
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External Resources
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"Ae Fond Kiss" in Publication — See a digital copy of "Ae Fond Kiss" as published in "Scots Musical Museum," 1792, set to the musical tune "Rory Dall's Port."
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Musical Rendition of "Ae Fond Kiss" — Enjoy a beautifully sung version of "Ae Fond Kiss" by Scottish singer-songwriter Eddi Reader.
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The Background and Music of "Ae Fond Kiss" — Learn more about the relationship that inspired "Ae Fond Kiss" and listen to three musical recordings: a sung version of "Ae Fond Kiss," plus an instrumental version of the poem's original tune, "Rory Dall's Port," and the poem's more common contemporary musical setting, "My Love Today As Heretofore."
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Burns's Letter — See a digital copy of 1791 letter Burns sent to Agnes McLehose containing the words to "Ae Fond Kiss."
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The Robert Burns Birthplace Museum — More information about Burns's relationship with Agnes McLehose, plus pictures of the exhibit at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum dedicated to "Ae Fond Kiss."
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Robert Burns
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