Grace before and after Meat by Robert Burns
Before the meal, the speaker asks God to provide a ram’s or wether’s head to relieve hunger. After the feast, the speaker acknowledges how little the diners merit it and asks that Meg remove the meat and Jock bring in spirits.
By Robert Burns · Genre: Poetry, Humor · 82 words
First lines
O Lord, when hunger pinches sore, / Do thou stand us in stead, / And send us, from thy bounteous store, / A tup or wether head! Amen.
O Lord, since we have feasted thus, / Which we so little merit, / Let Meg now take away the flesh, / And Jock bring in the spirit! Amen.
Genres
- Poetry — Two four-line stanzas present prayers before and after a meal through alternating rhymes.
- Humor — The solemn appeals to God request a sheep’s head and conclude with a comic turn from flesh to spirits.
Tags
meal graces · prayer · hunger · meat · spirits · humor
What this Textopian page supports
Grace before and after Meat 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: Poetry, Humor
- Length: 82 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Grace before and after Meat by Robert Burns
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph