The poem begins with the speaker bidding his lover farewell and at the same time mourning her departure. He does not regret this relationship, even though sometimes he is troubled over it. Any action he took with this person was not his fault, as he became obsessed with her and couldn’t resist being around her. Burns ends the poem with the speaker talking through all the positive things his lover brought to him, from peace to pleasure.

He still hasn’t come to terms with the loss by the end, instead. Burns’ poem explores the pain of parting and lost love. The woman is believed to be Agnes Macelhose, married but separated from her husband, so the relationship was kept secret. In 1791, Agnes, referred to as Nancy in the poem, left Scotland to travel to Jamaica to attempt a reconciliation with her husband.

• A reference to the struggles he felt during his relationships end, he is conflicted over the end of the relationship and perhaps conflicts about its existence at all: ‘Ae fareweel, and then forever! Deep in heart-wrung tears I’ll pledge thee’
• A potential bit of anger shown towards her ex husband who Agnes went back to:‘ Who shall say that Fortune grieves him, While the star of hope she leaves him?’
• Burns refuses to blame himself; as he believes it was impossible to resist her: ‘I’ll ne’er blame my partial fancy, Naething could resist my Nancy’
• Burns is saying that their love was inevitable, because she is irresistible, even though heart-ache was bound to be the outcome.: ‘Never met—or never parted, We had ne’er been broken-hearted’
• Burns looks back with some positives , however with minimal regret. As he acknowledges the negativity was inevitable regardless of the positives: ‘Thine be ilka joy and treasure, Peace, Enjoyment, Love and Pleasure’