Robert Burns

At Whigham's Inn, Sanquhar

written in 1789

At Whigham's Inn, Sanquhar - context Summary

Composed in Sanquhar, 1789

A brief lyric addressed to Envy that insists any curious, spiteful onlooker will find only generosity, kindness, friendship and virtue inside Whigham's Inn. The poem personifies Envy and contrasts its jaundiced view with the welcoming, moral atmosphere of the inn. Written by Robert Burns in Sanquhar in 1789, it functions as local praise grounded in the poet's own experience there. Its plain declaration of communal warmth and hospitality reads as both a defense against malice and a celebration of the social bonds that make a place "happy."

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Envy, if thy jaundiced eye, Through this window chance to spy, To thy sorrow thou shalt find, All that's generous, all that's kind, Friendship, virtue, every grace, Dwelling in this happy place.

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