A Man's a Man for A' That

Robert Burns

Teacher card

Published: 1786, in Poems and Songs of Robert Burns
Length: 40 lines, 263 words, 1 word in 66 is long
Year band: Reading load: Years 3–4. A guide from word length, not a curriculum level.
Themes: retirement, thanks
Time: 5–10 min, depending on the activity

The text

Is there for honest PovertyThat 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 though on hamely fare we dine,Wear hoddin grey, an’ a that;Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine;A Man’s a Man for a’ that:For a’ that, and 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 ribband, star, an’ a’ that:The man o’ independent mindHe looks an’ laughs at a’ that.

A prince can mak a belted knight,A marquis, duke, an’ a’ that;But an honest man’s abon his might,Gude faith, he maunna 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,Shall bear the gree, an’ a’ that.For a’ that, an’ a’ that,It’s coming yet for a’ that,That Man to Man, the world o’er,Shall brothers be for a’ that.

Robert Burns (died 1796), Poems and Songs of Robert Burns (1786), lines 23460–23503 of Project Gutenberg ebook #1279. Public domain in Australia: the author died before 1955. Copied word for word and checked against the ebook.

What to do with it

One link and one task line for each activity. Send a student the one you want them to do, or print this page and hand it round; each link has a QR code.

Its lines are dealt for names in posy cardsin posy · 40 lines · about 5–10 min
Task for students (you can change the sentence before you print; nothing is saved)See how posy takes lines from this poem, then make a card for someone using them.
See how posy takes lines from this poem, then make a card for someone using them.
posy.popplepoetry.com/sources#bu-man

Send the whole hand-out

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Link for the whole text

https://popplepoetry.com/find/burns-mans-a-man-for-a-that · popplepoetry.com