Anna, Thy Charms by Robert Burns
The speaker confesses that Anna’s charms inflame his heart and torment his soul, yet he believes his love is doomed to despair. In Anna’s presence, however, her loveliness makes hope seem pardonable, since despair would feel almost impious while beholding someone so heavenly.
By Robert Burns · First published 1793 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Romantic Poetry · 74 words
First lines
Anna, thy charms my bosom fire, / And waste my soul with care; / But ah! how bootless to admire, / When fated to despair!
Yet in thy presence, lovely Fair, / To hope may be forgiven; / For sure 'twere impious to despair / So much in sight of heaven.
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The work is a brief, musical first-person poem focused on a concentrated emotional response rather than narrative development.
- Love Poetry — Its central subject is the speaker's passionate admiration for Anna and the pain, hope, and despair produced by unfulfilled love.
- Romantic Poetry — The poem emphasizes intense personal feeling, idealized beauty, longing, and the emotional tension between despair and hope.
- Courtship Poetry — Addressing Anna directly as a 'lovely Fair,' the speaker uses conventional language of admiration and devoted romantic pursuit.
Tags
unrequited love · romantic longing · despair · hope · love as torment · female beauty · idealized beloved · courtship · adoration · heartache · yearning · forbidden hope
What this Textopian page supports
Anna, Thy Charms is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1793 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: 1793 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Romantic Poetry, Courtship Poetry, Unrequited Love Poetry
- Length: 74 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
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