The Belles of Mauchline
written in 1784
The Belles of Mauchline - context Summary
Mauchline Townwomen Catalogued
Written in 1784, this short poem playfully catalogs six young women from Mauchline, the Scottish town where Burns lived as a young man. Rather than a formal argument or moral claim, it offers a jaunty local portrait: each belle is briefly sketched by name and attribute, signaling attractiveness, wit, dress, or fortune. The poem functions as social observation and local gossip, rooted in the poet’s immediate community. Its light, convivial tone makes it an introduction to Burns’s engagement with everyday life and acquaintances in Mauchline.
Read Complete AnalysesIn Mauchline there dwells six proper young belles, The pride of the place and its neighbourhood a'; Their carriage and dress, a stranger would guess, In Lon'on or Paris, they'd gotten it a'. Miss Miller is fine, Miss Markland's divine, Miss Smith she has wit, and Miss Betty is braw: There's beauty and fortune to get wi' Miss Morton, But Armour's the jewel for me o' them a'.
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