Yon Wild Mossy Mountains by Robert Burns
The speaker cherishes the wild, mossy mountains that shelter the source of the Clyde, where grouse move through the heather and a shepherd watches his flock while playing his reed. He values these moors above richer valleys and sunny shores because a lonely stream there is associated with the lassie who fills his thoughts and dreams. He wishes always to wander among the mountains with her, following streams through green narrow straths while the hours of love pass unnoticed. Although his lassie is not the fairest woman, is little educated, and comes from very humble parentage, he loves her because she loves him. He admits that beauty, refined wit, and graceful manners can captivate men, but he finds greater radiance in kindness shining from her affectionate eyes. Her loving heart and embrace are, to him, her irresistible and triumphant charms.
By Robert Burns · First published 1792 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Pastoral Poetry · 321 words
First lines
Yon wild mossy mountains sae lofty and wide, / That nurse in their bosom the youth o' the Clyde, / Where the grouse lead their coveys thro' the heather to feed, / And the shepherd tends his flock as he pipes on his reed.
Not Gowrie's rich valley, nor Forth's sunny shores, / To me hae the charms o'yon wild, mossy moors; / For there, by a lanely, sequestered stream, / Besides a sweet lassie, my thought and my dream.
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The work is a short, song-like poem centered on the speaker's personal emotions, expressed in rhythmic stanzas and musical Scots diction.
- Love Poetry — Its principal subject is the speaker's devotion to a humble beloved, whose affection and kindness outweigh beauty, education, and social status.
- Pastoral Poetry — The poem idealizes rural life through shepherds, flocks, heather, mountain streams, moors, and leisurely wandering with the beloved.
- Nature Poetry — The wild Scottish mountains, valleys, moors, streams, grouse, and heather are vividly described and emotionally linked to the speaker's happiness.
Tags
Scottish pastoral poetry · Scottish vernacular verse · romantic love · rural courtship · wild mountains · Scottish moorland · Clyde headwaters · heather and grouse · shepherd and flock · shepherd's pipe · sequestered stream · green straths
What this Textopian page supports
Yon Wild Mossy Mountains is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1792 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: 1792 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Pastoral Poetry, Nature Poetry, Scottish Poetry
- Length: 321 words
- Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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