Epitaph on a Wag in Mauchline
written in 1785
Epitaph on a Wag in Mauchline - context Summary
Composed in 1785
Written in 1785 during Robert Burns’s years in Mauchline, this short epitaph playfully commemorates a local ″wag″ — a roguish, well-known figure in the town. Addressing husbands, schoolchildren and passersby, the poem mockingly warns that the deceased helped keep husbands occupied and might be the unacknowledged father of many children. Its local references and friendly satire reflect Burns’s engagement with Mauchline social life and his taste for humorous, community-focused verse rather than solemn memorializing.
Read Complete AnalysesLament 'im Mauchline husbands a', He aften did assist ye; For had ye staid whole weeks awa' Your wives they ne're had miss'd ye. Ye Mauchline bairns as on ye pass, To school in bands thegither, O tread ye lightly on his grass, Perhaps he was your father.
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