Lines to an Old Sweetheart by Robert Burns
The speaker addresses a woman once deeply loved and still cherished in memory as the first object of his youthful vows. He offers her a sincere token of friendship, acknowledging that friendship is now the only feeling duty permits him to express. As she reads his plain verses, he asks only that she give one compassionate sigh for him, whether he suffers far away in burning tropical lands or lies dead beneath the Atlantic.
By Robert Burns · First published 1789 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Romantic Poetry · 97 words
First lines
Once fondly lov'd, and still remember'd dear, / Sweet early object of my youthful vows, / Accept this mark of friendship, warm, sincere, / Friendship! 'tis all cold duty now allows. / And when you read the simple artless rhymes, / One friendly sigh for him-he asks no more, / Who, distant, burns in flaming torrid climes, / Or haply lies beneath th' Atlantic roar.
Similar titles
- Farewell To Eliza by Robert Burns
- Parting Friends by Walt Whitman
- Youth And Age by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- Let It Be You by Sara Teasdale
- Old Times by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- The Farewell by Robert Burns
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — A short, personal, emotionally concentrated verse expressing the speaker's private feelings toward a former beloved.
- Love Poetry — The poem recalls a woman once deeply loved as the object of the speaker's youthful vows, though the relationship has changed.
- Romantic Poetry — Its emphasis on memory, sincere feeling, lost affection, and idealized youthful attachment aligns with romantic lyric expression.
- Elegiac Poetry — The reflective, melancholy tone treats a love that is no longer possible and contemplates the speaker's potential death far from home.
Tags
unrequited love · lost love · former beloved · youthful vows · memory · friendship · duty · emotional restraint · nostalgia · parting · absence · long-distance longing
What this Textopian page supports
Lines to an Old Sweetheart is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1789 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: 1789 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Romantic Poetry, Elegiac Poetry, Epistolary Poetry
- Length: 97 words
- Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
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