Epistle to Dr. Blacklock by Robert Burns
Robert Burns responds joyfully to Dr. Blacklock’s letter and wishes him continued health and happiness. He curses Heron for failing to deliver Burns’s own letter, suggesting that Heron may have preferred romantic diversion to theological study. Burns reveals that he has become a gauger, fearing that the poetic “Parnassian queans” may now disdain him and that his fifty pounds a year will not bring much advantage. He defends this practical choice through necessity: he has a wife and two small sons who need food and clothes, and he declares that he would undertake even humbler labour before allowing them to lack necessities. Though wearied by worldly care and troubled by the unequal fortunes of men who are all brothers, Burns urges himself toward firm resolve. He argues that courage and doing one’s utmost can achieve more than expected. He concludes that the highest purpose of life is to create a happy fireside for one’s wife and children, then sends compliments to sister Beckie and to Lucky, signing himself faithfully.
By Robert Burns · First published 1787 · Genre: Epistolary Poetry, Scots Poetry, Lyric Poetry · 607 words
First lines
Ellisland, 21st Oct., 1789.
Wow, but your letter made me vauntie! / And are ye hale, and weel and cantie? / I ken'd it still, your wee bit jauntie / Wad bring ye to: / Lord send you aye as weel's I want ye! / And then ye'll do.
What this Textopian page supports
Epistle to Dr. Blacklock is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1787 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: 1787 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Epistolary Poetry, Scots Poetry, Lyric Poetry, Autobiographical Poetry, Occasional Poetry
- Length: 607 words
- Structure: 1 section, 11 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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- Work identity for Epistle to Dr. Blacklock by Robert Burns
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Genres
- Epistolary Poetry — The work is a verse letter addressed directly to Dr. Thomas Blacklock, combining personal news, greetings, apologies, and a formal closing.
- Scots Poetry — Burns writes extensively in Scots vernacular, using dialect vocabulary, idiom, rhyme, and a distinctly Scottish social setting.
- Lyric Poetry — Its short, stanzaic form expresses the speaker's immediate feelings, including pride, frustration, affection, anxiety, and determination.
- Autobiographical Poetry — The poem draws directly on Burns's circumstances, notably his appointment as an excise officer, his financial pressures, and his responsibilities to his wife and children.
Tags
Scots-language poetry · verse epistle · late eighteenth-century Scotland · Ellisland · friendship and correspondence · gratitude · health and goodwill · humorous complaint · romantic diversion · theological study · excise officer · poetry and livelihood