Elegy on the Death of Sir James Hunter Blair
During a storm near Holyrood, a solitary speaker sees Caledonia personified as a grieving mother. She mourns Blair's untimely death, recalls his help for the poor and patronage of arts and science, and vows to preserve his virtues before vanishing in the wind.
By Robert Burns · Genre: Elegy, Allegorical Poetry · 576 words
First lines
The lamp of day, with-ill presaging glare, / Dim, cloudy, sank beneath the western wave; / Th' inconstant blast howl'd thro' the dark'ning air, / And hollow whistled in the rocky cave.
Lone as I wander'd by each cliff and dell, / Once the lov'd haunts of Scotia's royal train; [1] / Or mus'd where limpid streams, once hallow'd well,[2] / Or mould'ring ruins mark the sacred fane.[3]
Genres
- Elegy — Caledonia laments Blair's untimely death and describes the mourning of his widow, orphans, the poor, and those whose work he supported.
- Allegorical Poetry — Caledonia appears as a mother bearing a shield, spear, and banner, and speaks of the deceased patriot as her son.
Tags
mourning · elegy · Scotland · personification · patronage · civic virtue
What this Textopian page supports
Elegy on the Death of Sir James Hunter Blair is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated Date unknown.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Burns
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Elegy, Allegorical Poetry
- Length: 576 words
- Structure: 1 section, 14 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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