To a Mouse
by Robert Burns
Original Version ~ Modern Translation ~ Theme
Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty
Wi bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murdering pattle.
I'm truly sorry man's dominion
Has broken Nature's social union,
An' justifies that ill opinion
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth born
companion
An' fellow mortal!
A Hilly Landscape, 1785
(Thomas Gainsborough)
I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve;
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
A daimen icker in a thrave
'S a sma' request;
I'll get a blessin wi' the lave,
An' never miss't.
Thy wee-bit housie, too, in ruin!
It's silly wa's the win's are strewin!
An' naething, now, to big a new ane,
O' foggage green!
An' bleak December's win's ensuin,
Baith snell an' keen!
Thou saw the fields laid bare an' waste,
An' weary winter comin fast,
An' cozie here, beneath the blast,
Thou thought to dwell,
Till crash! the cruel coulter past
Out thro' thy cell.
That wee bit heap o' leaves an' stibble,
Has cost thee monie a weary nibble!
Now thou's turned out, for a' thy trouble,
But house or hald,
To thole the winter's sleety dribble,
An' cranreuch cauld.
But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!
Still thou are blest, compared wi' me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But och! I backward cast my e'e,
On prospects drear!
An' forward, tho' I canna see,
I guess an' fear!
Questions to Consider
• 1. In which line does the tone change and
for what reason does Burns have the tone
shift there?
• 2. Burns acknowledges the mouse has an
advantage over mankind. What is it?
Works Cited
To a Mouse – Poetic Form
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Tone: The original is written partially in Scottish dialect
which often sounds like a foreign language. He could have
used The King’s English but decided not to. The poem is
playful by using a mouse as a metaphor but the message
is far more significant.
Rhyme Scheme: AAABAB
Meter: iambic tetrameter and iambic dimeter
Robert Burns
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Robert Burns 1759-1796
Burns was born in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Growing up in a small, isolated
Scottish village, he seemed to
understand that the few pleasures in a
difficult farming life were all the more
precious. He died of heart disease at a
young age due to poor nutrition and
the difficulty of farming life (“Robert
Burns”).
(“Robert Burns”)
Theme
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The relationship between man and nature is a major theme
in this poem. Burns devotes the poem to contemplating
the plight of a field mouse, using the mouse’s
circumstances as a metaphor for the lower social
classes. This sort of romantic idealism fits in perfectly
with the growing social consciousness spreading through
Europe during this time period. The romantics, already
infatuated with the beauty of the natural world, saw this
world as the perfect vehicle for exploring the social
issues of the day. Burns use of a mouse as a stand in for
the poor, is a prime example of this new thinking.
Of Mice and Men
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John Steinbeck used this phrase as the title of his
1937 novel. The novel tells the story of George
Milton and his mentally challenged friend Lennie
Small. The two travel together working various jobs
in an attempt to earn enough money for a home and
life of their own. Set against the back drop of the
Great Depression, the contrast between those who
have and those who have not is stark. George and
Lennie can be viewed as mice working for a home of
their own, only to have the opportunity taken from
them.
Man's dominion
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Burns uses this phrase to apologize for
human kind breaking into the natural order of
the world in an attempt to dominate nature.
Burns is clearly sympathizing with the plight
of nature, in this case the mouse. These
attitudes reveal him to be a Romantic poet,
as this sort of introspection and
preoccupation with nature is one of the most
notable subjects of the poetry of the period
(Kinsell).
An' fellow mortal!
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By referring to the mouse as his fellow mortal,
Burns is not only elevating the status of the
animal, but also revealing that he identifies with
his situation. Himself a farmer, Burns is always
conscience of class distinction. At the time this
poem was written, farmers and ploughmen led a
poor, salt of the earth existence, while the royal
courts, particularly in France, were dripping with
diamonds and decadence. To Burns, a mouse
casually turned out of his home by the powerful
and unaware is representative of the plight of the
lower classes of humanity (Kinsell).
(Hebert)
Wi' murdering pattle
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Here we find the image of Burns as the Romantic
farmer. Although he must plough the land to make a
living from it, he sees himself as living in harmony
with nature. He will not use his plough to murder or
destroy but to cultivate and nurture. This idealized
view of man’s relationship with nature is a trademark
of the Romantic age (Perkins).
(Hedges)
'S a sma' request;
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Although stealing is normally
considered wrong, Burns feels that
the mouse is justified in taking a
small amount of the farmer’s
abundant harvest if it is necessary
for his survival. Burns is at once
humanizing the mouse by referring to
his actions as stealing, while also
relegating him to a primitive status by
calling him a poor beast. The conflict
in these images mirrors the conflict
many felt about the human poor
during this time period.
(Pennant)
An' never miss't
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Burns professes that sacrificing a small
amount of his harvest for a hungry animal
will bring him blessings. This idea fits in well
with the humanist worldview of the
enlightenment in favor during this time.
Social reforms began to emerge as major
issues as people began to accept the notion
that those with more than enough should
take care of those with too little (Perkins).
(Allan)
On prospects drear!
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Here Burns laments that he is not as
fortunate as the mouse, who is only
troubled by the present, rather than
the past. The dreary prospects Burns
must remember may include the
bloody religious persecution of the
previous century. Although life in
Scotland is fairly peaceful at the
present time, Burns remembers a time
when it was not and worries over an
uncertain future (Cristina Keith).
(Tanner)
A Hilly Landscape
This painting by Thomas Gainsborough
is representative of the romantic
sentiments of the late 18th century. Soft
colours and rounded lines create a
warm landscape. Nature is allowed to
run wild and free, almost obscuring the
distant house. Clearly, the land is more
valued than the man made structure.
The key to a happy life, this painting
seems to say, is to live at harmony with
nature, rather than to dominate and
obscure the land. Burns would likely
agree with these sentiments as
throughout, “To a Mouse” the humble
field animal is seen as equal to the
ploughman, and his grass dwelling as
important as a human home.
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