Election Ballad at the Close of the Contest for
The speaker addresses Fintry as his support in worldly struggles and friend of both his Muse and life, inviting him to watch a reckless poetic ride. He considers travelling through theology but fears its fogs, bogs, and holy hazards, then turns instead to the wild territory of politics, where electors, elected men, and courtly supporters are periodically seized by a contagious madness. He savagely praises Drumlanrig’s haughty Grace, Queensberry, as the disgrace and inversion of the Douglas name: earlier members of that race possessed virtues, while Queensberry is claimed to be free of anything good. Queensberry abandons princely concerns to court borough voters, shaking hands with working men and kissing barefoot old women. His blue-and-buff cause ignites the boroughs against Whig opponents, though he himself withdraws from the dust and bloodshed, leaving others to fight and plead for him. The election contest is magnified into an epic war. M’Murdo and his wife charm voters and their families; Craigdarroch unleashes torrents of rhetorical devices; Glenriddel exposes Tory plots; Staig and Welsh battle fiercely; Miller brings the financial artillery of the Banks; and Maxwelton entrenches himself amid Lawson’s port. Against them, immense Tory forces charge with demonic speed. Horror, Terror, Murder, Hell, storms, fires, floods, ocean waves, and crashing mountains all become images for the combat’s violence. Ghosts join the struggle from both political traditions. Departed Whigs recall old daring beneath a Magna Charter flag, while Tory figures and Covenanters appear; the speaker pauses to ask forgiveness of much-wronged Montrose and imagines his enemies engulfed by Death and Hell. Although each side gives way in turn, Fate decrees the Tory defeat. The speaker theatrically mourns the falling and fleeing Tories while furious Whigs pursue them. He laments the losses of Sir James, Pulteney, Hopetoun, and Stewart, and predicts grief for Pitt, Thurlow, and Melville, while Fox, Sheridan, and Burke rejoice in triumphant power. Calling himself a distant, sober spectator like a robin chirping safely after a storm, the Bard nevertheless ends by praying that Hell send a rough-shod troop over all who would buy or sell Scotland, grinding them into the mire.
By Robert Burns · First published 1790 · Genre: Political satire, Satirical poetry, Political poetry · 1,592 words
First lines
At the close of the contest for representing the Dumfries Burghs, 1790.
Addressed to R. Graham, Esq. of Fintry.
Similar titles
- Ballad On The American War by Robert Burns
- The Ballad Of G R Dibbs by Andrew Barton Paterson
- Jimmy Dooleys Army A Political Ballad By Our Bolshevik Bard by Andrew Barton Paterson
- The Twa Herds Or The Holy Tulyie by Robert Burns
- The Deficit Demon A Political Ballad by Andrew Barton Paterson
- The Kirk Of Scotlands Alarm by Robert Burns
Genres
- Political satire — The poem fiercely and comically attacks electoral politics, party conflict, aristocratic patronage, and named political figures during the Dumfries Burghs contest.
- Satirical poetry — Burns uses ridicule, hyperbole, irony, invective, and grotesque mock-heroic imagery to expose the vanity and corruption of the election campaign.
- Political poetry — Its central subject is the 1790 parliamentary election, presenting Whig and Tory rivalries, local electoral maneuvering, and national political allegiances.
- Occasional poetry — The work was composed for a particular public event—the conclusion of the contest to represent the Dumfries Burghs—and addresses a specific contemporary audience.
Tags
Scottish politics · 1790 British election · Dumfries Burghs · parliamentary representation · Whigs and Tories · political satire · election corruption · Scottish national identity · Scots language · mock-heroic poetry · ballad · epic battle imagery
What this Textopian page supports
Election Ballad at the Close of the Contest for Representing the Dumfries Burghs is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1790 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: 1790 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Political satire, Satirical poetry, Political poetry, Occasional poetry, Mock-heroic poetry
- Length: 1,592 words
- Structure: 1 section, 29 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Election Ballad at the Close of the Contest for Representing the Dumfries Burghs by Robert Burns
- 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