Pinned to Mrs. Walter Riddell's Carriage
The speaker tells a carriage it would outrun a dart if it rattled like its mistress's tongue, but collapse under a fly's weight if its materials were as rotten as her heart.
By Robert Burns · Genre: Epigram, Satirical Poetry · 51 words
First lines
If you rattle along like your Mistress' tongue, / Your speed will outrival the dart; / But a fly for your load, you'll break down on the road, / If your stuff be as rotten's her heart.
Genres
- Epigram — Four rhyming lines turn an address to a carriage into a pointed insult against its mistress.
- Satirical Poetry — The comparisons mock the mistress's tongue and heart through exaggerated claims about the carriage's speed and strength.
Tags
carriages · satire · epigram · insults
What this Textopian page supports
Pinned to Mrs. Walter Riddell's Carriage 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
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Pinned to Mrs. Walter Riddell's Carriage 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