Versified Reply to an Invitation by Robert Burns
Robert Burns replies cheerfully to an invitation, admitting with comic frankness that he is very drunk. Despite his present condition, he promises faithfully to attend the recipient’s gathering on Thursday, provided he can manage to mount an animal or ride in a cart.
By Robert Burns · First published 1808 · Genre: Verse Epistle, Occasional Poetry, Humorous Poetry · 99 words
First lines
Sir,
Yours this moment I unseal, / And faith I'm gay and hearty! / To tell the truth and shame the deil, / I am as fou as Bartie: / But Foorsday, sir, my promise leal, / Expect me o' your partie, / If on a beastie I can speel, / Or hurl in a cartie.
Yours,
Robert Burns. / Mauchlin, Monday night, 10 o'clock.
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Genres
- Verse Epistle — The work is a direct poetic reply to a correspondent, adopting the conventional form of a brief letter written in verse and ending with Burns's signature, place, and date.
- Occasional Poetry — It was composed for a specific social occasion: answering an invitation and promising to attend the recipient's gathering.
- Humorous Poetry — Its tone is comic and self-deprecating, especially in the speaker's candid admission of drunkenness and uncertainty about being able to travel.
- Scottish Vernacular Poetry — Burns uses Scots diction and idiom, including terms such as 'fou,' 'Foorsday,' 'leal,' 'beastie,' and 'cartie,' grounding the poem in Scottish speech and culture.
Tags
Scottish vernacular poetry · verse epistle · comic reply · invitation · drunkenness · alcohol · tipsy speaker · cheerful tone · comic frankness · social gathering · promise to attend · friendship
What this Textopian page supports
Versified Reply to an Invitation is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1808 CE.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Burns
- Date: 1808 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Verse Epistle, Occasional Poetry, Humorous Poetry, Scottish Vernacular Poetry, Social Poetry
- Length: 99 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
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