Esteem for Chloris
written in 1794
Ah, Chloris, since it may not be, That thou of love wilt hear; If from the lover thou maun flee, Yet let the friend be dear. Altho' I love my Chloris, mair Than ever tongue could tell; My passion I will ne'er declare I'll say, I wish thee well. Tho' a' my daily care thou art, And a' my nightly dream, I'll hide the struggle in my heart, And say it is esteem.
Esteem for Chloris - fact Summary
Personal Muse Named Chloris
Written in 1794, this short lyric records Burns's restrained admiration for a woman called Chloris, a name tied to his real-life romantic attachments. The speaker insists he will not profess love openly; though Chloris fills his days and nights, he masks ardor as friendship and "esteem." The poem presents a conscious choice to hide passion rather than pursue or declare it, portraying emotional self-control and polite affection more than overt courtship. It reflects Burns’s personal tendency to entwine lived feeling with concise, direct address.
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