72.
Mrs. W. Riddell
Woodleypark
--94
To Maria -
Epigram - on Lord Buchan's
assertion that "Women ought always
"to be flattered grossly, or not spoken
"to at all" -
"Praise Woman still!" his Lordship says,
"Deserved, or not, no matter; "
But thee, Maria, while I praise,
There Flattery cannot flatter. ----
Maria, all my thought & dream,
Inspires my vocal shell:
The more I praise my lovely Theme,
The more the truth I tell. -
RB
______________
Mrs. W. Riddell
Woodleypark
--94
To Maria -
Epigram - on Lord Buchan's
assertion that "Women ought always
"to be flattered grossly, or not spoken
"to at all" -
"Praise Woman still!" his Lordship says,
"Deserved, or not, no matter; "
But thee, Maria, while I praise,
There Flattery cannot flatter. ----
Maria, all my thought & dream,
Inspires my vocal shell:
The more I praise my lovely Theme,
The more the truth I tell. -
RB
______________
Key details
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/02/79
- Alt. number
- 3.6234
- Date
- August 1793
- On display
- No
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
- Recipient
- Riddell, Maria
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/02/79
- Alt. number
- 3.6234
- Date
- August 1793
- On display
- No
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
- Recipient
- Riddell, Maria
Description
To Maria. Begins: "'Praise woman still!' his Lordship says".
Burns wrote this poem for his friend Maria Riddell. It was written in response to Lord Buchan's assertion that 'Woman ought not always to be flattered grossly, or not spoken to at all'. In these short lines, Robert proves just the opposite.
Maria Riddell (1772 - 1808) was one of Burns's most reliable and intimate female confidants. Maria was married to Walter Riddell, the younger brother of Robert Riddell, Burns's neighbour at Ellisland. The two met in 1792 and soon began a long-lasting friendship that would continue until Burns's death.
Archive information
Themes
Hierarchy
-
Robert Burns, collection of poems and songs
(
a sub-fonds is a subdivision in the archival material)
- To Maria
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