On a Suicide Two

On a Suicide Two - context Summary

Written in 1795

Composed in 1795 and dedicated to John Bushby, this very short poem reads like a bawdy epitaph mocking a man who has taken his own life. Burns uses blunt, irreverent language to cast the deceased as a Satan-planted “imp,” suggesting the act spares divine intervention the effort of damning him. The tone is satirical and provocative rather than consoling, fitting period epitaph traditions that could mix humor and moral judgment. Its brevity and directness emphasize public censure and dark comic dismissal rather than private grief.