On Glenriddell's Fox Breaking his Chain
The speaker likens liberty to a headstrong Highland filly and rebukes Glenriddell for chaining a fox while defending freedom. The captive fox listens to Whig debates about tyranny and British politics, acquiring knowledge of rights and the constitution; the fragment does not recount his escape.
By Robert Burns · Genre: Political Satire, Narrative Poetry · 696 words
First lines
A Fragment, 1791.
Thou, Liberty, thou art my theme; / Not such as idle poets dream, / Who trick thee up a heathen goddess / That a fantastic cap and rod has; / Such stale conceits are poor and silly; / I paint thee out, a Highland filly, / A sturdy, stubborn, handsome dapple, / As sleek's a mouse, as round's an apple, / That when thou pleasest canst do wonders; / But when thy luckless rider blunders, / Or if thy fancy should demur there, / Wilt break thy neck ere thou go further.
What this Textopian page supports
On Glenriddell's Fox Breaking his Chain 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: Political Satire, Narrative Poetry
- Length: 696 words
- Structure: 1 section, 8 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for On Glenriddell's Fox Breaking his Chain 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
Genres
- Political Satire — Glenriddell's commitment to freedom is set against his confinement of a fox, while political debates become a comic education for the captive animal.
- Narrative Poetry — Rhyming verse follows a fox from capture and confinement to his acquisition of political knowledge through overheard debates.
Tags
liberty · political hypocrisy · foxes · captivity · Whigs · tyranny