A Bard's Epitaph by Robert Burns
“A Bard’s Epitaph” calls upon several kinds of readers to mourn the person buried beneath a grassy grave. The impulsive fool, the unnoticed singer of rustic songs, and the clear-minded adviser who nevertheless pursues life wildly are each invited to pause, grieve, and recognize themselves in the dead man. The speaker describes the grave’s inhabitant as someone quick to recognize wisdom and deeply capable of friendship and affection. Yet he was brought down by careless follies, which also damaged his reputation. Addressing every reader, whether imaginative and elevated or absorbed in humble earthly concerns, the poem offers its moral: wisdom begins with prudence, caution, and self-control.
By Robert Burns · First published 1786 · Genre: Elegy, Epitaph, Lyric Poetry · 280 words
First lines
Is there a whim-inspired fool, / Owre fast for thought, owre hot for rule, / Owre blate to seek, owre proud to snool, / Let him draw near; / And owre this grassy heap sing dool, / And drap a tear.
Is there a bard of rustic song, / Who, noteless, steals the crowds among, / That weekly this area throng, / O, pass not by! / But, with a frater-feeling strong, / Here, heave a sigh.
Is there a man, whose judgment clear / Can others teach the course to steer, / Yet runs, himself, life's mad career, / Wild as the wave, / Here pause-and, thro' the starting tear, / Survey this grave.
What this Textopian page supports
A Bard's Epitaph is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1786 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Burns
- Date: 1786 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Elegy, Epitaph, Lyric Poetry, Moral Poetry, Didactic Poetry
- Length: 280 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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Genres
- Elegy — The poem mourns an imagined deceased bard, invoking grief, tears, a grave, and reflection on the life and failings of the dead.
- Epitaph — Structured around a burial site and explicitly addressing the 'poor inhabitant below,' the work serves as a poetic grave inscription or memorial.
- Lyric Poetry — Its concise stanzas, rhythmic vernacular language, direct emotional appeal, and musical quality place it firmly within lyric poetry.
- Moral Poetry — The closing stanza turns the dead man's fate into an explicit lesson: prudence, caution, and self-control are presented as the basis of wisdom.
Tags
Scottish poetry · Scots dialect · elegy · epitaph · graveyard meditation · mourning · death · grassy grave · moral verse · prudence · self-control · wisdom