To the Sons of Burns, after Visiting the Grave of their FatherA

Composed before 1807B—Published 1807

The Poem

The

Poet's grave is in a corner of the church-yard. We looked at it with melancholy and painful reflections, repeating to each other his own verses:

'Is there a man whose judgment clear, etc.'

Extract from the Journal of my Fellow-Traveller.

—W. W. 1827.

C

One of the "Poems of Sentiment and Reflection" in the 1815 and 1820 editions.—Ed.

The Poem

text variant footnote line number

'Mid crowded obelisks and urns
I sought the untimely grave of Burns;
Sons of the Bard, my heart still mourns
With sorrow true;
And more would grieve, but that it turns
Trembling to you!

Through twilight shades of good and ill
Ye now are panting up life's hill,
And more than common strength and skill
Must ye display;
If ye would give the better will
Its lawful sway.

Hath Nature strung your nerves to bear
Intemperance with less harm, beware!
But if the Poet's wit ye share,
Like him can speed
The social hour—of tenfold care
There will be need;

For honest men delight will take
To spare your failings for his sake,
Will flatter you,—and fool and rake
Your steps pursue;
And of your Father's name will make
A snare for you.

Far from their noisy haunts retire,
And add your voices to the quire
That sanctify the cottage fire
With service meet;
There seek the genius of your Sire,
His spirit greet;

Or where,'mid "lonely heights and hows,"
He paid to Nature tuneful vows;
Or wiped his honourable brows
Bedewed with toil,
While reapers strove, or busy ploughs
Upturned the soil;

His judgment with benignant ray
Shall guide, his fancy cheer, your way;
But ne'er to a seductive lay
Let faith be given;
Nor deem that "light which leads astray,
Is light from Heaven."

Let no mean hope your souls enslave;
Be independent, generous, brave;
Your Father such example gave,
And such revere;
But be admonished by his grave,
And think, and fear!

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Variant 1:

1827

Ye now are panting up life's hill!
'Tis twilight time of good and ill,

1807

Variant 2:

1840

Strong bodied if ye be to bear
Intemperance with less harm, beware!
But if your Father's wit ye share,
Then, then indeed,
Ye Sons of Burns! for watchful care

1807

... for tenfold care

1827

The text of 1827 is otherwise identical with that of 1840.

Variant 3:

1840

For honest men delight will take
To shew you favor for his sake,
Will flatter you; and Fool and Rake

1807

For their beloved Poet's sake,
Even honest men delight will take
To flatter you; ...

1820

Even honest Men delight will take
To spare your failings for his sake,
Will flatter you,— ...

1827

Footnote A:

In the edition of 1807, this poem has the title Address to the Sons of Burns after visiting their Father's Grave (August 14th, 1803). Slight changes were made in the title afterwards.—Ed.

return to footnote mark

Footnote B:

Dorothy Wordsworth wrote, in her Recollections of this tour, under date August 18th, 1803,

"William wrote long afterwards the following Address to the sons of the ill-fated poet."

Ed.

Footnote C:

This explanatory note appears in every edition of the Poems from 1827 to 1850. It is taken (but not literally) from the Recollections of a Tour made in Scotland as published in 1875.—Ed.

Footnote D:

From Burns's Epistle to James Smith, l. 53.—Ed.

Footnote E:

From Burns's poem, The Vision, Duan Second.—Ed.

Footnote F:

In the edition of 1807, the poem began with what is now the second stanza, and consisted of four stanzas only, viz. Nos. ii., iii., iv., and viii. Stanzas i., v., vi., and vii. were added in 1827. Stanza iii. was omitted in 1820, but restored in 1827.—Ed.

Note:

In Dorothy Wordsworth's Recollections of this Tour we find, under date August 18, 1803:

"The grave of Burns's Son, which we had just seen by the side of his Father, and some stories heard at Dumfries respecting the dangers his surviving children were exposed to, filled us with melancholy concern, which had a kind of connection with ourselves."

"The body of Burns was not allowed to remain long in this place. To suit the plan of a rather showy mausoleum his remains were removed into a more commodious spot of the same kirkyard on the 5th July 1815."—(Allan Cunningham.)

Ellen Irwin; or, the Braes of Kirtle, comes next in this series of "Memorials of a Tour in Scotland, 1803." It has already been printed, however, (p. 124), in its proper chronological place, among the poems belonging to the year 1800. —Ed.

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