Robert Burns Poetry

Robert Burns Poem First Six Verses Of The Ninetieth Psalm Versified, The O Thou, the first, the greatest friend Of all the human race! Whose strong right hand has ever been Their stay and dwelling place! Before the mountains heav’d their heads Beneath Thy forming hand, Before this ponderous globe itself Arose at Thy command; […]

On A Bank Of Flowers Poem Robert Burns On a bank of flowers, in a summer day, For summer lightly drest, The youthful, blooming Nelly lay, With love and sleep opprest; When Willie, wand’ring thro’ the wood, Who for her favour oft had sued; He gaz’d, he wish’d He fear’d, he blush’d, And trembled where […]

Robert Burns Poem Epistle To John Goldie, In Kilmarnock Author Of The Gospel Recovered.—August, 1785 O Gowdie, terror o’ the whigs, Dread o’ blackcoats and rev’rend wigs! Sour Bigotry, on her last legs, Girns an’ looks back, Wishing the ten Egyptian plagues May seize you quick. Poor gapin’, glowrin’ Superstition! Wae’s me, she’s in a […]

ADDRESS TO THE DEIL “O Prince! O Chief of many throned Pow’rs, That led th’ embattled Seraphim to war.” MILTON The beautiful and relenting spirit in which this fine poem finishes moved the heart on one of the coldest of our critics. “It was, I think,” says Gilbert Burns, “in the winter of 1784, as […]

This is one of the earliest of the poet’s recorded compositions: it was written before the death of his father, and is called by Gilbert Burns, ‘a juvenile production.’ To walk by a river while flooded, or through a wood on a rough winter day, and hear the storm howling among the leafless trees, exalted […]

To Dr. Maxwell Poem Robert Burns On Miss Jessy Staig’s recovery. Maxwell, if merit here you crave, That merit I deny; You save fair Jessie from the grave!— An Angel could not die!

Bessy And Her Spinnin’ Wheel Poem O Leeze me on my spinnin’ wheel, And leeze me on my rock and reel; Frae tap to tae that cleeds me bien, And haps me biel and warm at e’en; I’ll set me down and sing and spin, While laigh descends the simmer sun, Blest wi’ content, and […]

Ode On The Departed Regency Bill Poem Robert Burns (March, 1789) Daughter of Chaos’ doting years, Nurse of ten thousand hopes and fears, Whether thy airy, insubstantial shade (The rights of sepulture now duly paid) Spread abroad its hideous form On the roaring civil storm, Deafening din and warring rage Factions wild with factions wage; […]

Elegy On The Death Of Sir James Hunter Blair Poetry The lamp of day, with—ill presaging glare, Dim, cloudy, sank beneath the western wave; Th’ inconstant blast howl’d thro’ the dark’ning air, And hollow whistled in the rocky cave. Lone as I wander’d by each cliff and dell, Once the lov’d haunts of Scotia’s royal […]

Tarbolton Lasses, The Poem If ye gae up to yon hill-tap, Ye’ll there see bonie Peggy; She kens her father is a laird, And she forsooth’s a leddy. There Sophy tight, a lassie bright, Besides a handsome fortune: Wha canna win her in a night, Has little art in courtin’. Gae down by Faile, and […]