"Sweet Afton" is a lyrical poem describing the Afton Water in

Ayrshire Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It was written by

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

in 1791. The poem was first published as a song in the Scots Musical Museum (1787-1803) and this is the best known version as sung throughout Scotland. The poem is also known as a song set to music in 1837 in the USA by Jonathan E. Spilman; however, this is not the melody sung in Scotland. "Sweet Afton" contains a number of monosyllables, which contribute to a gentle, soothing rhythm. It can be seen as a hymn for peace. The poem is in the metre 11 - 11 - 11- 11. The University of South Carolina uses the 1837 Spilman melody for their alma mater, "

We Hail Thee Carolina "We Hail Thee Carolina" is the alma mater of the University of South Carolina. It was adopted by the university in 1912 and is sung by alumni and students at Gamecock athletic events. The alma mater is also used to conclude each football game, ho ...

". The song is sung by Mary Bennet (played by Marsha Hunt) in the 1940 film version of ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is the second published novel (but third to be written) by English author Jane Austen, written when she was age 20-21, and later published in 1813. A novel of manners, it follows the character development of Elizabe ...

''. It is also mentioned in Chapter IX of MacKinlay Kantor's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel ''Andersonville'' (1955). In the Andy Griffith Show episode “Mayberry Goes Hollywood” (1961) a citizen of Mayberry sings “Sweet Afton” to serenade a visiting Hollywood film producer. The song is the basis for much of the soundtrack of Genius (2016 film), which includes a jazz arrangement
"Swing Gently Sweet Harlem,"
by Adam Cork. It has also been recorded by

Oli Steadman Oliver "Oli" Steadman is a British-South African multi-instrumentalist. Stornoway Steadman is a founding member of Stornoway and through them is a volunteer with many nature conservation trusts including HIWWT, RSPB, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, ...

for inclusion in "365 Days Of Folk", and by Tony Cuffe. A modern recording of the song was produced by bluegrass band Nickel Creek in their eponymous 2000 release
"Nickel Creek - Sweet Afton"
In the town of

New Cumnock New Cumnock is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland. It expanded during the coal-mining era from the late 18th century, and mining remained its key industry until its pits were shut in the 1960s. The village is southeast of Cumnock, and east of ...

East Ayrshire East Ayrshire (; ) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquarters of the council are located on London Roa ...

there is a bridge across Afton Water on the A76 upon which there is a plaque commemorating Robert Burns and his poem. The River Afton of New Cumnock gives its name to Glen Afton through which the river runs, which has connections with

William Wallace Sir William Wallace (, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of St ...

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...

Mary Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

(1568), and Robert Burns. The Wallace seal attached to the Lubeck Letter of 1297 gives substance to the theory that Wallace's father was from Kyle Regis (this area) and a rock formation "up the glen" is named Castle William, supposedly after the Scottish patriot's fortification.

References

External links

*Digitised copy o
Afton water
in James Johnson's

Scots Musical Museum The ''Scots Musical Museum'' was an influential collection of traditional folk music of Scotland published from 1787 to 1803. While it was not the first collection of Scottish folk songs and music, the six volumes with 100 songs in each collected ...

, printed between 1787 and 1803, from

National Library of Scotland The National Library of Scotland (NLS; ; ) is one of Scotland's National Collections. It is one of the largest libraries in the United Kingdom. As well as a public programme of exhibitions, events, workshops, and tours, the National Library of ...

. JPEG, PDF, XML versions. Poetry by Robert Burns Scots-language works 1791 poems 1791 in Scotland Songs based on poems {{poem-stub