Epigram to Miss Ainslie in Church
As Miss Ainslie looks up a text during a sermon, the speaker tells her that the preacher meant guilty sinners and flatters her as an angel.
By Robert Burns · Genre: Epigram, Humor · 47 words
First lines
Who was looking up the text during sermon.
Fair maid, you need not take the hint, / Nor idle texts pursue: / 'Twas guilty sinners that he meant, / Not Angels such as you.
Genres
- Epigram — Four rhyming lines conclude with a pointed compliment contrasting guilty sinners with the woman addressed as an angel.
- Humor — The speaker turns a sermon’s reference to sinners into playful reassurance and flattery.
Tags
sermons · flattery · innocence · epigrams
What this Textopian page supports
Epigram to Miss Ainslie in Church is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, 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 Burns
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Epigram, Humor
- Length: 47 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
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