Epitaph. Here Lies Robert Fergusson, Poet
written in 1787
Epitaph. Here Lies Robert Fergusson, Poet - context Summary
Composed in 1787
Robert Burns composed this short epitaph in 1787 as a public memorial to fellow Scottish poet Robert Fergusson. Addressed to Scotland, the poem notes the absence of grand monuments and instead invites national mourning at a simple stone. Burns contrasts Fergusson’s poetic gifts with his neglected, impoverished end, presenting himself as a "brother Bard" who can only offer a modest tribute. The closing lines assert that Fergusson’s songs are a more enduring monument than sculpted art, claiming poetic fame as the true legacy that outlasts material wealth.
Read Complete AnalysesNo sculptur'd marble here, nor pompous lay, 'No story'd urn nor animated bust;' This simple stone directs pale Scotia's way To pour her sorrows o'er her Poet's dust. [She mourns, sweet, tuneful youth, thy hapless fate, Tho' all the pow'rs of song thy fancy fir'd; Yet Luxury and Wealth lay by in state, And thankless starv'd what they so much admir'd. This humble tribute with a tear he gives, A brother Bard, he can no more bestow; But dear to fame thy Song immortal lives, A nobler monument than Art can show.]
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