Clarinda (Mistress of My Soul)
written in 1788
Clarinda (Mistress of My Soul) - fact Summary
Addressed to Agnes Mclehose
Written in 1788 and commonly taken as an address to Agnes McLehose, the poem presents a lover’s farewell and acute dependence on his beloved. The speaker names himself Sylvander and portrays Clarinda as the source of his life and joy, lamenting separation as a loss of light. Tears and a pledge to wait until her return frame the emotional core. The poem registers personal intimacy and romantic idealization rather than public or political themes, rooted in Burns’s real-life correspondence with McLehose.
Read Complete AnalysesClarinda, mistress of my soul, The measur'd time is run! The wretch beneath the dreary pole, So marks his latest sun. To what dark cave of frozen night Shall poor Sylvander hie; Depriv'd of thee, his life and light, The Sun of all his joy. We part-but by these precious drops, That fill thy lovely eyes! No other light shall guide my steps, Till thy bright beams arise. She, the fair Sun of all her sex, Has blest my glorious day: And shall a glimmering Planet fix My worship to its ray?
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