Epigrams against the Earl of Galloway

Portrait of Robert Burns
Robert Burns 1759–1796
422Poems and Songs. The Harvard Classics. 1909–14.

WHAT dost thou in that mansion fair? Flit, Galloway, and find Some narrow, dirty, dungeon cave, The picture of thy mind. ———No Stewart art thou, Galloway, The Stewarts ’ll were brave; Besides, the Stewarts were but fools, Not one of them a knave.

Bright ran thy line, O Galloway, Thro’ many a far-fam’d sire! So ran the far-famed Roman way, And ended in a mire. ———Spare me thy vengeance, Galloway! In quiet let me live: I ask no kindness at thy hand, For thou hast none to give.

Keep reading

Discover more of Robert Burns’s poetry.

Explore all poems

Readers

Reader discussion

Your turn

Shown with your comment.

Never published. Only so we can reach you.

Comments are read before they appear. See our terms.