The Belles of Mauchline by Robert Burns
“The Belles of Mauchline” praises six admired young women in Mauchline, whose carriage and dress appear remarkably fashionable. Miss Miller is fine, Miss Markland divine, Miss Smith witty, and Miss Betty braw. Miss Morton offers beauty and fortune, but Armour is the speaker’s chosen jewel above them all.
By Robert Burns · First published 1787 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Scottish Poetry, Love Poetry · 107 words
First lines
In Mauchline there dwells six proper young belles, / The pride of the place and its neighbourhood a'; / Their carriage and dress, a stranger would guess, / In Lon'on or Paris, they'd gotten it a'.
Miss Miller is fine, Miss Markland's divine, / Miss Smith she has wit, and Miss Betty is braw: / There's beauty and fortune to get wi' Miss Morton, / But Armour's the jewel for me o' them a'.
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — A short, stanzaic poem centered on praise, personal preference, rhythm, and expressive language rather than narrative development.
- Scottish Poetry — The poem is set in Mauchline and uses Scots vocabulary and dialect forms such as 'a'', 'braw,' and 'wi',' strongly locating it in the Scottish vernacular tradition.
- Love Poetry — The speaker surveys several attractive women before declaring Armour to be the one he values above all others.
- Occasional Poetry — It responds to a particular local social setting and identifiable young women in Burns's Mauchline community.
Tags
Scottish poetry · Scots language · lyric poem · love poem · praise poetry · courtship · female beauty · young women · romantic admiration · fashionable dress · elegant carriage · Mauchline
What this Textopian page supports
The Belles of Mauchline is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1787 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: 1787 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Scottish Poetry, Love Poetry, Occasional Poetry, Praise Poetry
- Length: 107 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
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