Comin Thro the Rye by Robert Burns

The poem Comin Thro the Rye by  Scottish writer  Robert Burns  (1759–1796),  is probably best known because of Holden Caulfields misinterpretation of it in J.D. Salingers novel  The Catcher in the Rye. Instead of meeting a body in the rye, he remembers it as catching a body. Discussing the poem with his sister, Phoebe, Holden tells her a fantasy that he is  a rescuer of children playing in a field of rye, and he is catching them before they fall off a cliff. The reference to the poem in The Catcher in the Rye has prompted writers and scholars to take a look at the source when discussing the novel. The poem was written with a  Scottish dialect;  draiglt  translates to  drags;  weet  to  wet;  gin  to  when or if,  depending on the interpretation;  ilka to  every; loe to love;  waur to  worse off;  and  ken  to  know. Depending on the source, the last line of the second verse has a period or a question mark, and the third verse has a question mark or an exclamation point. Note: The second setting wasnt signed by Burns but is widely accepted as being by him. Poem Text Comin Thro' the Rye by Robert Burns [First Setting] Comin thro the rye, poor body,Comin thro the rye,She draiglt aher petticoatie,Comin thro the rye. Chorus:O, Jennys a weet, poor body,Jennys seldom dry;She draiglt a her petticoattieComin thro the rye.Gin a body meet a bodyComin thro the rye,Gin a body kiss a body—Need a body cry. [To chorus] Gin a body meet a bodyComin thro the glen,Gin a body kiss a body,Need the warld ken! [To chorus] [Second Setting]   Gin a body meet a body, comin thro the rye,   Gin a body kiss a body, need a body cry;   Ilka body has a body, neer a ane hae I;   But a the lads they loe me, and what the waur am I.   Gin a body meet a body, comin frae the well,   Gin a body kiss a body, need a body tell;   Ilka body has a body, neer a ane hae I,   But a the lads they loe me, and what the waur am I.   Gin a body meet a body, comin frae the town,   Gin a body kiss a body, need a body gloom;   Ilka Jenny has her Jockey, neer a ane hae I,   But a the lads they loe me, and what the waur am I.   How the Poem Relates to Catcher in the Rye The poems theme is the question of whether casual sex is OK. Meeting a body in a field isnt just running across someone and saying hello. The poem asks Need a body cry? as in—Is it worth getting upset over? This relates to Salingers novel because the  sex question is a source of moral conflict inside the 16-year-old Holden. Saving children from falling off a cliff, then, in his fantasy, can be equated to helping children keep their innocence as long as possible.