Epistle to James Tennant of Glenconner
The speaker addresses James Tennant of Glenconner as an old comrade and fellow sinner, asking after him and the people around him while complaining bitterly about a cold eastern wind. He sends, through Johnie Simson, two philosophers, Smith and Reid, whose ideas of sympathy and common sense he contrasts with the tangled arguments of learned philosophy. He insists that the books be read and returned quickly, joking that he himself has become so solemn and devout that he spends his time reading Bunyan, Brown, and Boston, practising pious expressions and imagining himself becoming a shining religious example. He sends affectionate respects to “guid auld Glen,” praising him as an exceptional honest man and wishing him divine support, comfort beyond the grave, and blessings of grace and wealth for his family. He also remembers several acquaintances: his old schoolfellow Preacher Willie, the sailor and mason brother, Auchenbay and Meg, wabster Charlie, singing Sannock, Nancy now matched to her liking with a man who has some money, cousin Kate, and sister Janet. He warns Kate and Janet to be cautious with men, saying that giving away one’s heart is civil enough but yielding one’s maidenhead is dangerous. For Jamie himself, the speaker wishes guardian angels would guide him seven miles south of hell, while also hoping he enjoys many merry tales, laughs, drinks, and enough money. He asks Jamie to assist poor Simson, whom he calls an honest man, and signs off as “Rob the Ranter.”
By Robert Burns · First published 1786 · Genre: Epistolary Poetry, Scottish Dialect Poetry, Satirical Poetry · 829 words
First lines
Auld comrade dear, and brither sinner, / How's a' the folk about Glenconner? / How do you this blae eastlin wind, / That's like to blaw a body blind? / For me, my faculties are frozen, / My dearest member nearly dozen'd. / I've sent you here, by Johnie Simson, / Twa sage philosophers to glimpse on; / Smith, wi' his sympathetic feeling, / An' Reid, to common sense appealing. / Philosophers have fought and wrangled, / An' meikle Greek an' Latin mangled, / Till wi' their logic-jargon tir'd, / And in the depth of science mir'd, / To common sense they now appeal, / What wives and wabsters see and feel. / But, hark ye, friend! I charge you strictly, / Peruse them, an' return them quickly: / For now I'm grown sae cursed douce / I pray and ponder butt the house; / My shins, my lane, I there sit roastin', / Perusing Bunyan, Brown, an' Boston, / Till by an' by, if I haud on, / I'll grunt a real gospel-groan: / Already I begin to try it, / To cast my e'en up like a pyet, / When by the gun she tumbles o'er / Flutt'ring an' gasping in her gore: / Sae shortly you shall see me bright, / A burning an' a shining light.
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Genres
- Epistolary Poetry — The work is explicitly framed as a verse letter addressed to James Tennant, conveying news, greetings, requests, advice, and farewell sentiments to a named recipient.
- Scottish Dialect Poetry — Burns writes predominantly in Scots vernacular, using regional vocabulary, idiom, spelling, and speech rhythms that root the poem in eighteenth-century Scottish popular language.
- Satirical Poetry — The poem humorously mocks philosophical abstraction, fashionable piety, personal pretension, and social behavior through exaggeration, irony, and irreverent wit.
- Familiar Verse Epistle — Its informal, conversational voice treats the recipient as an old friend, blending domestic detail, gossip, book-lending, jokes, blessings, and practical requests.
Tags
verse epistle · Scottish vernacular poetry · eighteenth-century Scotland · Glenconner · friendship · fellowship · comic self-mockery · religious satire · piety and hypocrisy · philosophy · common sense · sympathy
What this Textopian page supports
Epistle to James Tennant of Glenconner is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1786 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: 1786 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Epistolary Poetry, Scottish Dialect Poetry, Satirical Poetry, Familiar Verse Epistle, Comic Poetry
- Length: 829 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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