Robert Burns (1759-1796)
Epistle to J. Lapraik
(excerpt)
...
49I am nae poet, in a sense,
50But just a rhymer like by chance,
51An' hae to learning nae pretence;
52 Yet what the matter?
53Whene'er my Muse does on me glance,
54 I jingle at her.
55Your critic-folk may cock their nose,
56And say, "How can you e'er propose,
57You wha ken hardly verse frae prose,
58 To mak a sang?"
59But, by your leave, my learned foes,
60 Ye're maybe wrang.
61What's a' your jargon o' your schools,
62Your Latin names for horns an' stools?
63If honest nature made you fools,
64 What sairs your grammars?
65Ye'd better taen up spades and shools,
67A set o' dull, conceited hashes
68Confuse their brains in college classes!
69They gang in stirks and come out asses,
70 Plain truth to speak;
71An' syne they think to climb Parnassus
72 By dint o' Greek!
73Gie me ae spark o' Nature's fire,
74That's a' the learnin' I desire;
75Then, tho' I drudge thro' dub an' mire
76 At pleugh or cart,
77My Muse, though hamely in attire,
78 May touch the heart.
...
Notes
49] John Lapraik (1727-1807) was an Ayrshire farmer who gained a local reputation for his rhymes.
62] horns: ink-horns.
64] sairs: serves.
65] shools: shovels.
66] knappin-hammers: stone-breakers.
67] hashes: fools.
69] stirks: young steers.
71] syne: then.
75] dub: puddle.
Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.
Original text: Robert Burns, Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (Kilmarnock, 1786). PR 4300 1786a K5a SMR. Edinburgh, 1797. B-10 0051 Fisher Rare Book Library (Toronto).
First publication date:
1786
RPO poem editor: G. G. Falle
RP edition: 3RP 2.303.
Recent editing: 4:2002/3/15
Composition date:
1
April
1785
Rhyme: aaabab
Other poems by Robert Burns
