I Murder Hate by Robert Burns (1947)
The speaker rejects killing in battle, whether on sea or land, even when war is praised as glorious. He prefers “life-giving wars of Venus,” associating himself with love rather than violence. The powers he honours are social Peace and Plenty, and he would rather create one new life than cause the deaths of twenty people. He also refuses the celebrated deaths of Socrates, Leonidas, and Cato, dismissing the fame attached to their sacrifices. He will not make the zealots of Church or State his enemies. Instead, he chooses the fate of bold Zimri, wishing to die in Cozbi’s embrace.
By Robert Burns · First published 1947 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Satirical Poetry · 157 words
First lines
I murder hate by flood or field, / Tho' glory's name may screen us; / In wars at home I'll spend my blood- / Life-giving wars of Venus. / The deities that I adore / Are social Peace and Plenty; / I'm better pleas'd to make one more, / Than be the death of twenty.
I would not die like Socrates, / For all the fuss of Plato; / Nor would I with Leonidas, / Nor yet would I with Cato: / The zealots of the Church and State / Shall ne'er my mortal foes be; / But let me have bold Zimri's fate, / Within the arms of Cozbi!
Similar titles
- Natures Law A Poem by Robert Burns
- I Reign In Jeanies Bosom by Robert Burns
- O Tibbie I Hae Seen The Day by Robert Burns
- My Lord A Hunting by Robert Burns
- The Rantin Dog The Daddie Ot by Robert Burns
- Epistle To John Rankine by Robert Burns
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The work is a short first-person poem organized in rhyming stanzas, expressing a speaker's personal attitudes and desires.
- Love Poetry — Its central preference is for erotic love and procreation, described as the 'life-giving wars of Venus,' over violence, martyrdom, or military glory.
- Satirical Poetry — Burns mockingly dismisses celebrated political, religious, and philosophical ideals, including Socrates, Leonidas, Cato, church zealots, and martial glory.
- Anti-War Poetry — The speaker rejects killing in wars and explicitly values Peace and Plenty above the death of others.
Tags
anti-war poetry · satire · amatory verse · Scottish vernacular poetry · eighteenth-century poetry · rejection of martial glory · love versus violence · peace and plenty · Venus · sexual love · procreation · battlefield imagery
What this Textopian page supports
I Murder Hate is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1947 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: 1947 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Satirical Poetry, Anti-War Poetry, Erotic Poetry
- Length: 157 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
Good citation fit
- Work identity for I Murder Hate 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