Muckle-Mouth Meg by Robert Browning
Threatened with hanging for trespassing, a young English lord refuses the laird's wife's offer of mercy if he marries Muckle-mouth Meg. During a week's confinement, a girl brings him porridge; when he declares he would marry her, she reveals she is Meg, and he kisses her.
By Robert Browning · Genre: Ballad, Humor · 543 words
First lines
Frowned the Laird on the Lord: "So, red-handed I catch thee? / Death-doomed by our Law of the Border! / We 've a gallows outside and a chiel to dispatch thee: / Who trespasses -- hangs: all 's in order."
He met frown with smile, did the young English gallant: / Then the Laird's dame: "Nay, Husband, I beg! / He 's comely: be merciful! Grace for the callant / -- If he marries our Muckle-mouth Meg!"
Genres
- Ballad — Ten rhymed four-line stanzas tell a story through brisk exchanges, repeated references to Meg, and a final revelation.
- Humor — The gallant's exaggerated disgust at Meg's supposedly enormous mouth turns into eager kisses when his helpful visitor identifies herself.
Tags
marriage bargain · imprisonment · threatened hanging · appearances · comic verse
What this Textopian page supports
Muckle-Mouth Meg is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Browning, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Browning
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Ballad, Humor
- Length: 543 words
- Structure: 1 section, 10 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Muckle-Mouth Meg by Robert Browning
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph