On Capt. Lascelles by Robert Burns

After Lascelles dies, friends consider embalming his heart. A bystander dismisses the idea, calling the heart poison that no reptile will touch.

By Robert Burns · Genre: Epigram, Satirical Poetry · 51 words

First lines

When Lascelles thought fit from this world to depart, / Some friends warmly thought of embalming his heart; / A bystander whispers-"Pray don't make so much o't, / The subject is poison, no reptile will touch it. "

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Genres

• Epigram — Four rhyming lines turn plans to preserve a dead man's heart into a pointed insult.
• Satirical Poetry — The bystander's claim that the heart is poisonous mocks Lascelles through the friends' proposed tribute.

Tags

death · embalming · mockery · epigram

What this Textopian page supports

On Capt. Lascelles 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: Epigram, Satirical Poetry
• Length: 51 words
• Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs

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More by Robert Burns

• Handsome Nell (1808)
• O Tibbie, I Hae Seen the Day (1786)
• I Dream'D I Lay (1792)
• In the Character of a Ruined Farmer (1786)
• Tragic Fragment (1786)
• The Tarbolton Lasses (1808)
• Ah, Woe is me, my Mother Dear (1808)
• Montgomerie's Peggy (1790)
• All works by Robert Burns