For a' That and a' That by Robert Burns poem summary, British Literature - II, B.A English Literature, 1st Year 2nd Semester

 BA English Literature

 [1^st Year, 2^nd Semester]

Core Paper V: BRITISH LITERATURE

UNIT 1: Poetry

For A' That and A' That by Robert Burns 

Is there, for honest poverty,

That hings his head, an' a' that?

The coward slave, we pass him by,

We dare be poor for a' that!

For a' that, an' a' that,

Our toils obscure, an' a' that;

The rank is but the guinea's stamp;

The man's the gowd for a' that,

What tho' on hamely fare we dine,

Wear hoddin-gray, an' a' that;

Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine,

A man's a man for a' that.

For a' that, an' a' that,

Their tinsel show an' a' that;

The honest man, tho' e'er sae poor,

Is king o' men for a' that.

Ye see yon birkie, ca'd a lord

Wha struts, an' stares, an' a' that;

Tho' hundreds worship at his word,

He's but a coof for a' that:

For a' that, an' a' that,

His riband, star, an' a' that,

The man o' independent mind,

He looks and laughs at a' that.

 

A prince can mak a belted knight,

A marquis, duke, an' a' that;

But an honest man's aboon his might,

Guid faith he mauna fa' that!

For a' that, an' a' that,

Their dignities, an' a' that,

The pith o' sense, an' pride o' worth,

Are higher rank than a' that.

Then let us pray that come it may,

As come it will for a' that,

That sense and worth, o'er a' the earth,

May bear the gree, an' a' that.

For a' that, an' a' that,

It's coming yet, for a' that,

That man to man, the warld o'er,

Shall brothers be for a' that.

About Poet:

Most of Burns’s poems were first published in James Johnson’s five-volume edition of The Scottish Musical Museum (1787 – 1797) and George Thomson’s four-volume edition of Selected Scottish Songs in the Original (1793 – 1805). The song “Is There for Honest Poverty” (also known as “For A’ That and A ’That”) was written in 1794, printed in 1795 and reprinted in 1799. Historians grasp in it an echo of the ideas and events of the Great French Revolution of 1789 – 1794 that reached Scotland.

Poem Summary:

"A man's a man for a' that," "For a' That and a' That," or "For Honest Poverty," depending on the publication, is a social commentary presented through song. Written in his rural dialect, Burns' song is directed towards the Scottish peasantry, a class he himself was born into and only allowed to escape, ironically, via his literary success.

Accordingly, the composition strives to elevate working-class values and criticize those of the elite. The song's refrain, "a' that" (all that), is a generalization that serves to illuminate the immensity of its subject matter: moral value is not determined by this or that but, rather, by "all that."

The song begins with a rhetorical question through which Burns frames his intentions. He asks if “honest poverty” is enough to draw us into despondency, a question for which the prompted response is "no." And, in a sense, the remainder of the poem is a running list of instances by which such an answer is justified.

Conversely, any individual who would answer "yes" to this inaugural question is said to be a "coward slave," and it is through the criticism of such an individual that Burns attempts to encourage the contrary conclusion. The virtuous person will simply "pass him by", as they are above the strictures of wealth and "dare [to] be poor" if it is for the benefit of a higher order that overshadows our "toil".

The opening stanza then concludes with a quick reflection on how the promoted moral is met by society. On this subject, Burns is less than optimistic and writes that "The rank is but the guinea's stamp", a line which reproaches the economic determinism of society. Instead, the final line reiterates that, though it is not evident, an individual's worth is actually derived from higher virtues.

Stanza two continues this method of comparison as Burns begins with an image of modesty in the first two lines. He describes those who sustain themselves through "hamely fare" (affable or homely attributes) and are clothed in "hodden-gray," a type of coarse, undyed wool typically worn by the Scottish peasantry. This image is juxtaposed with one of "fools" and "knaves" who are drawn to "silks" and "wine", creating a portrait of moral humility drawn up against worldly and base indulgence. Additionally, it is through these desires, those decisions made by all regardless of wealth, that one's morality is more justly approximated - it is he who cares not for “tinsel” that is "king o' men". 

Stanza three takes a "birkie" (a conceited individual) who serves as a lord and scrutinizes him under the same lens. "Tho' hundreds worship at his word" (line 19) he is, like the fools and knaves, a "coof" (blockhead) on account of his "ribband" and "star," gilded tokens that are meaningless to the free thinkers who laugh at his depravity.

In stanza four Burns now turns his attention to a prince who can “make a belted knight, / A marquis, duke, an' a' that;”. But, once again, this individual’s power is offset by that of the “honest man” who rests above the prince’s reach, the prince lacking the “guid faith” held by his adversary. What this amounts to is a contrast of “dignities,” as it is the one who displays “pith o’ sense, an’ pride o’ worth” that is a “higher rank than a’ that”.

The final stanza breaks the mold and considers the universal good that can emerge when the aforementioned virtues are put into practice. The first two lines anticipate an age when “sense and worth, o’er a’ the earth / May bear the gree, an’ a’ that”, the latter line translating as “to be the victor.” Just what this age entails can be found in the poem's final line which envisions a world where “brothers be for a’ that,” “be” inferring a universal bond of comradery in which the influence of moral virtue governs our actions, and “for a’ that” representing the virtues themselves.