Inscribed under Fergusson's Portrait
Burns curses the ungrateful person who enjoys a poet’s work while denying its author the reward of appreciation. Addressing Fergusson as an elder brother in misfortune and in the Muses, he mourns the bard’s unhappy fate and asks why one so sensitive to the world’s pleasures should receive so little pity from the world.
By Robert Burns · First published 1787 · Genre: Elegy, Lyric Poetry, Occasional Poetry · 83 words
First lines
Curse on ungrateful man, that can be pleased, / And yet can starve the author of the pleasure. / O thou, my elder brother in misfortune, / By far my elder brother in the Muses, / With tears I pity thy unhappy fate! / Why is the Bard unpitied by the world, / Yet has so keen a relish of its pleasures?
What this Textopian page supports
Inscribed under Fergusson's Portrait 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: Elegy, Lyric Poetry, Occasional Poetry, Epigram, Literary Tribute
- Length: 83 words
- Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
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Genres
- Elegy — A brief mournful tribute to the deceased poet Robert Fergusson, lamenting his unhappy fate and the world's neglect of bards.
- Lyric Poetry — The work is a short, emotionally concentrated verse utterance expressing personal grief, pity, and artistic kinship.
- Occasional Poetry — It was written for a specific commemorative purpose: an inscription placed beneath Fergusson's portrait.
- Epigram — Its compact form, pointed address, and concluding observation on the neglected poet give it an epigrammatic character.
Tags
Scottish poetry · elegy · epitaph · literary tribute · poet's fate · Robert Fergusson · unappreciated artist · ingratitude · patronage · poverty · artistic recognition · fellowship of poets