Verses to Clarinda by Robert Burns
The speaker sends Clarinda a humble pair of wine-glasses, praising her as the empress of his soul and queen of poetesses. He asks her to fill them with generous wine matching her generous mind and drink first to the whole of humankind. A second toast is offered to those who love them, while avoiding a toast to those they love lest that love be unreturned. The final toast is to Clarinda and the speaker together in love.
By Robert Burns · First published 1791 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Occasional Poetry · 128 words
First lines
Sent with a Pair of Wine-Glasses.
Fair Empress of the Poet's soul, / And Queen of Poetesses; / Clarinda, take this little boon, / This humble pair of glasses:
And fill them up with generous juice, / As generous as your mind; / And pledge them to the generous toast, / "The whole of human kind!"
"To those who love us! " second fill; / But not to those whom we love; / Lest we love those who love not us- / A third-"To thee and me, Love! "
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — A short, personal verse expressing affection, admiration, and a convivial toast in a musical poetic form.
- Love Poetry — The speaker addresses Clarinda with romantic devotion, calling her the poet's inspiration and ending with a toast to their mutual love.
- Occasional Poetry — The poem was composed to accompany a gift of wine-glasses, making its occasion and social function central to its design.
- Toast Poetry — Its structure consists of successive proposed toasts: to humanity, to those who love the speakers, and finally to Clarinda and the speaker.
Tags
love poetry · toast poem · wine-glasses · gift-giving · romantic address · Clarinda · idealized beloved · poetess · courtly praise · wine and drinking · friendship · reciprocal love
What this Textopian page supports
Verses to Clarinda is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1791 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: 1791 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Occasional Poetry, Toast Poetry, Gift Poem
- Length: 128 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
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