Epitaph for James Smith by Robert Burns
The epitaph mockingly calls on Mauchline husbands to lament James Smith because, when they stayed away for weeks, he assisted them so effectively that their wives did not miss them. It also warns Mauchline children walking together to school to tread lightly on his grave, since he may have been their father.
By Robert Burns · First published 1786 · Genre: Epitaph, Satirical Poetry, Comic Verse · 78 words
First lines
Lament him, Mauchline husbands a', / He aften did assist ye; / For had ye staid hale weeks awa, / Your wives they ne'er had miss'd ye.
Ye Mauchline bairns, as on ye press / To school in bands thegither, / O tread ye lightly on his grass,- / Perhaps he was your father!
What this Textopian page supports
Epitaph for James Smith 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: Epitaph, Satirical Poetry, Comic Verse, Mock Elegy, Bawdy Poetry
- Length: 78 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
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- Work identity for Epitaph for James Smith by Robert Burns
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Genres
- Epitaph — The poem is explicitly framed as a mock grave inscription commemorating James Smith after his death.
- Satirical Poetry — Burns humorously attacks the deceased's presumed sexual promiscuity through exaggerated public mourning and insinuation.
- Comic Verse — Its central effect is comic: husbands are told to lament a man whose absence means their wives will not miss them, while children are jokingly warned that he may be their father.
- Mock Elegy — The work adopts the mourning language and commemorative stance of an elegy but overturns solemnity with bawdy ridicule.
Tags
Scottish poetry · Scots language · mock epitaph · satire · comic verse · sexual innuendo · adultery · illegitimacy · paternity · infidelity · marital absence · wives and husbands