Lament for James, Earl of Glencairn
Robert Burns’s “Lament for James, Earl of Glencairn” presents an aged Bard mourning his noble patron, whom Death has taken too soon. In a bleak autumn landscape beside Lugar’s winding stream, the Bard leans against an ancient decaying oak and plays a sorrowful harp while wind and Echo seem to carry his grief. He addresses the fading birds and woods, observing that they will revive with another season, while no returning cycle of time can restore his happiness. Comparing himself to an old tree battered by wind and rain, he feels that the loss of his lord has destroyed his final support. He expects no renewal for himself and imagines others taking his place after he falls. The Bard says that years and losses have made him a stranger among people, unknown and unsupported. Those who might have shared his sorrow lie dead, and his greatest grief is that his master now lies in clay. He praises Glencairn as the flower of bold barons, the pride and support of his country. With his patron dead, the Bard believes that the “life of life” has gone from him and that hope has fled forever. Calling on his harp for one final song of grief and despair, he offers this lament as a tribute to the friend who rescued him from Fortune’s darkest condition. He recalls living in poverty and obscurity, with no prospect of fame, until Glencairn found and fostered both the friendless Bard and his rustic song. The poem protests the injustice that a noble, generous, worthy man should die in the strength of manhood while villains survive into old age. The Bard wishes he had received the deadly blow himself. He ends by declaring that, though even bridegrooms, monarchs, and mothers might forget what is dearest to them, he will always remember Glencairn and all that Glencairn did for him.
By Robert Burns · First published 1791 · Genre: Elegy, Funeral Poetry, Lyric Poetry · 864 words
First lines
The wind blew hollow frae the hills, / By fits the sun's departing beam / Look'd on the fading yellow woods, / That wav'd o'er Lugar's winding stream: / Beneath a craigy steep, a Bard, / Laden with years and meikle pain, / In loud lament bewail'd his lord, / Whom Death had all untimely ta'en.
He lean'd him to an ancient aik, / Whose trunk was mould'ring down with years; / His locks were bleached white with time, / His hoary cheek was wet wi' tears! / And as he touch'd his trembling harp, / And as he tun'd his doleful sang, / The winds, lamenting thro' their caves, / To Echo bore the notes alang.
Similar titles
- Lines Sent To Sir John Whiteford Bart by Robert Burns
- Raving Winds Around Her Blowing by Robert Burns
- When Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloomd by Walt Whitman
- Poor Mailies Elegy by Robert Burns
- In Memory Of J B by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- Epistle To Davie A Brother Poet by Robert Burns
Genres
- Elegy — The poem is a sustained lament for the death of James, Earl of Glencairn, grieving his untimely loss and commemorating his virtues.
- Funeral Poetry — Its central purpose is memorialization: the speaker mourns the deceased, addresses him directly, and offers his song as a final tribute.
- Lyric Poetry — The work foregrounds an individual speaker's intense emotional response, using musical language, apostrophe, imagery, and a highly personal voice.
- Occasional Poetry — Burns composed the poem in response to a particular historical event, the death of his patron and friend, the Earl of Glencairn.
Tags
elegy · Scottish vernacular poetry · mourning · death of a patron · James, Earl of Glencairn · patronage · gratitude · friendship · bereavement · autumn landscape · Lugar stream · Scotland
What this Textopian page supports
Lament for James, Earl of Glencairn is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1791 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: 1791 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Elegy, Funeral Poetry, Lyric Poetry, Occasional Poetry, Tribute Poetry
- Length: 864 words
- Structure: 1 section, 10 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Lament for James, Earl of Glencairn 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