Second Epistle to J. Lapraik by Robert Burns
In this verse letter, the speaker writes at evening to acknowledge Lapraik’s kind letter, despite exhaustion from farm work and the protests of his lazy, bewildered Muse. Rebuking the Muse, he resolves to answer warmly, whether in rhyme, prose, or an unruly mixture of both, because Lapraik has praised him so generously. He urges his friend not to complain when Fortune treats him harshly, but to play his moorland harp cheerfully, since Fortune is fickle and contemptible. The speaker declares that Fortune has repeatedly struck and frightened him since youth, yet he will continue to laugh, sing, and dance for as long as he is able. Having lived through twenty-six summers while continually pursued by this troublesome force, he asserts his continued endurance. He asks whether Lapraik envies prosperous city men, swollen with money and local importance, or proud feudal gentlemen who parade in finery and receive public deference. Against such ambitions, the speaker prays only for greater wit and sense, saying that he would not exchange his freedom to roam through Scotland for the pride of citizens or lairds. He rejects the notion that people must become rich and great under threat of damnation. Instead, he presents a divine command that values the social, friendly, honest person above rank or wealth. Poor followers of the Nine may therefore shine gloriously, while greedy servants of Mammon remain in darkness. Such miserly people may suffer degraded rebirths, howling in beasts or hiding from daylight as owls. By contrast, Lapraik and Burns may rise to their native, kindred skies, where they will sing of their pleasures, hopes, and joys, their friendship growing closer with every passing year.
By Robert Burns · First published 1786 · Genre: Epistolary Poetry, Scottish Vernacular Poetry, Satirical Poetry · 1,084 words
First lines
April 21, 1785
While new-ca'd kye rowte at the stake / An' pownies reek in pleugh or braik, / This hour on e'enin's edge I take, / To own I'm debtor / To honest-hearted, auld Lapraik, / For his kind letter.
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Genres
- Epistolary Poetry — The work is a verse letter addressed directly to the poet J. Lapraik, written in response to Lapraik's friendly correspondence and closing by affirming their friendship.
- Scottish Vernacular Poetry — Burns writes predominantly in Scots dialect, using rural vocabulary, idiom, pronunciation, and rhythms associated with eighteenth-century Scottish speech and song.
- Satirical Poetry — The poem derides materialism, social pretension, urban commercial ambition, and feudal vanity through comic caricature and sharp judgments.
- Lyric Poetry — Its first-person voice expresses immediate feeling, resilience, gratitude, frustration, independence, and affection in compact musical stanzas.
Tags
verse epistle · Scottish vernacular poetry · eighteenth-century Scotland · rural farm life · ploughing · evening composition · poetic muse · writer's block · friendship · gratitude · literary correspondence · resilience against adversity
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Second Epistle to J. Lapraik is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1786 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: 1786 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Epistolary Poetry, Scottish Vernacular Poetry, Satirical Poetry, Lyric Poetry, Pastoral Poetry
- Length: 1,084 words
- Structure: 1 section, 19 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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