To One Who Affirmed of a Well-known Character

To One Who Affirmed of a Well-known Character - context Summary

Written in 1794

Composed in 1794, this very short poem records a speaker’s immediate defense of a "well-known Character." The speaker rejects reports that the man is a knave, insisting the man’s appearance cannot be false and refusing to accept the gossip at face value. In two brief quatrains Burns stages a compact claim about reputation and perception, privileging the speaker’s direct judgment over secondhand accusations. The poem reads as a succinct vindication against rumor and a reminder that appearances and communal talk can conflict.