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To A Louse
Guest Author - Susan Keeping

The poem To a Louse: On Seeing One On a Lady's Bonnet, at Church was written in 1786. As the subtitle suggests, Burns came up with the idea of this poem after noticing a head louse roaming around on the bonnet of a woman sitting in front of him in church one Sunday morning.

To a Louse is basically saying that you can put on airs, dress in your fanciest clothes and feel that you are superior to everyone, but that you are really no better than anyone else. Head lice don't discriminate and see everyone as equal.

The poem was written in the form now known as the "Burns Stanza" since he used it so frequently.

To a Louse


Ha! whare ye gaun, ye crowlin ferlie?
Your impudence protects you sairly;
I canna say but ye strunt rarely
Owre gauze and lace,
Tho faith! I fear ye dine but sparely
On sic a place.

Ye ugly, creepin, blastit wonner,
Detested. shunn'd by saunt an sinner,
How daur ye set your fit upon her -
Sae fine a lady!
Gae somewhere else and seek your dinner
On some poor body.

Swith! in some beggars hauffet squattle:
There ye may creep, and sprawl, and sprattle,
Wi ither kindred, jumping cattle;
In shoals and nations;
Whare horn nor bane ne'er daur unsettle
Your thick plantations.

Now haud you there! ye're out o sight,
Below the fatt'rils, snug an tight,
Na, faith ye yet! ye'll no be right,
Till ye've got on it -
The vera tapmost, tow'rin height
O Miss's bonnet.

My sooth! right bauld ye set your nose out,
As plump an grey as onie grozet:
O for some rank, mercurial rozet,
Or fell, red smeddum,
I'd gie you sic a hearty dose o't,
Wad dress your droddum!

I wad na been surpris'd to spy
You on an auld wife's flainen toy;
Or aiblins some bit duddie boy,
On's wyliecoat:
But Miss's fine Lunardi! fye!
How daur ye do't?

O Jeany, dinna toss your head.
An set your beauties a' abread!
Ye little ken what cursed speed
The blastie's makin!
Thae winks an finger-ends, I dread,
Are notice takin!


O wad some Power the gift tae gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae mony a blunder free us,
An foolish notion:
What airs in dress an gait wad lea'e us,
An ev'n devotion!





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Content copyright © 2009 by Susan Keeping. All rights reserved.
This content was written by Susan Keeping. If you wish to use this content in any manner, you need written permission. Contact BellaOnline Administration for details.

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