Prologue Spoken at the Theatre of Dumfries
The speaker, appearing on New Year’s Day evening, brings no entertainment from a great city but instead wishes the audience a good New Year. Speaking as Old Father Time’s deputy, he reminds them that they are a year older and urges them to think about whether they have also become wiser. Time addresses hopeful young men, advising them to seize opportunities early and to achieve remarkable things through perseverance in action, endurance, or restraint. He then appeals to young women to value the present moment and accept the happiness that may be both given and received. The speaker finally expresses sincere gratitude for the audience’s many favours, affirming that these kindnesses are deeply felt.
By Robert Burns · Genre: Occasional Poetry, Theatrical Prologue, New Year Poetry · 447 words
First lines
On New Year's Day Evening, 1790.
No song nor dance I bring from yon great city, / That queens it o'er our taste-the more's the pity: / Tho' by the bye, abroad why will you roam? / Good sense and taste are natives here at home: / But not for panegyric I appear, / I come to wish you all a good New Year! / Old Father Time deputes me here before ye, / Not for to preach, but tell his simple story: / The sage, grave Ancient cough'd, and bade me say, / "You're one year older this important day," / If wiser too-he hinted some suggestion, / But 'twould be rude, you know, to ask the question; / And with a would-be roguish leer and wink, / Said-"Sutherland, in one word, bid them Think!"
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Genres
- Occasional Poetry — Written for performance at the Theatre of Dumfries on New Year's Day, the poem directly addresses a particular public occasion and its audience.
- Theatrical Prologue — Its title, public-speaking voice, and introductory function identify it as a prologue composed for a theatrical setting.
- New Year Poetry — The speaker explicitly offers the audience New Year wishes and uses the annual passing of time as the poem's organizing occasion.
- Didactic Poetry — Personified Father Time gives practical moral instruction about thought, initiative, perseverance, and making use of the present.
Tags
Scottish poetry · eighteenth-century Scotland · New Year's Day · theatre prologue · occasional verse · public address · audience appreciation · passage of time · aging · wisdom · self-reflection · Old Father Time
What this Textopian page supports
Prologue Spoken at the Theatre of Dumfries 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: Occasional Poetry, Theatrical Prologue, New Year Poetry, Didactic Poetry, Satirical Poetry
- Length: 447 words
- Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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