“To a Mouse” Introduction

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“To a Mouse” Summary

“To a Mouse” Themes

• 

  The Relationship Between People and Animals

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• 

  The Unpredictability of Life

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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “To a Mouse”

• Before Line 1, Lines 1-6

     
   On Turning up in Her Nest with the Plough, November, 1785
  Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim’rous beastie,
  O, what a panic’s in thy breastie!
  Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
            Wi’ bickerin brattle!
  I wad be laith to rin an’ chase thee
            Wi’ murd’ring pattle!

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 7-12

  I’m truly sorry Man’s dominion
  Has broken Nature’s social union,
  An’ justifies that ill opinion,
            Which makes thee startle,
  At me, thy poor, earth-born companion,
            An’ fellow-mortal!

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 13-18

  I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve;
  What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
  A daimen-icker in a thrave
            ’S a sma’ request:
  I’ll get a blessin wi’ the lave,
            An’ never miss ’t!

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 19-24

  Thy wee-bit housie, too, in ruin!
  It’s silly wa’s the win’s are strewin!
  An’ naething, now, to big a new ane,
            O’ foggage green!
  An’ bleak December’s winds ensuin,
            Baith snell an’ keen!

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 25-30

  Thou saw the fields laid bare an’ waste,
  An’ weary Winter comin fast,
  An’ cozie here, beneath the blast,
            Thou thought to dwell,
  Till crash! the cruel coulter past
            Out thro’ thy cell.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 31-36

  That wee-bit heap o’ leaves an’ stibble
  Has cost thee monie a weary nibble!
  Now thou’s turn’d out, for a’ thy trouble,
            But house or hald,
  To thole the Winter’s sleety dribble,
            An’ cranreuch cauld!

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 37-42

  But Mousie, thou art no thy-lane,
  In proving foresight may be vain:
  The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men
            Gang aft agley,
  An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
            For promis’d joy!

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 43-48

  Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me!
  The present only toucheth thee:
  But Och! I backward cast my e’e,
            On prospects drear!
  An’ forward tho’ I canna see,
            I guess an’ fear!

  

  

  

  

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“To a Mouse” Symbols

• 

  The Mouse

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• 

  The Destruction of the Nest

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“To a Mouse” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Anthropomorphism

  

  

  

  

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• Allusion

  

  

  

  

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• Imagery

  

  

  

  

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• Antithesis

  

  

  

  

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• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

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• Assonance

  

  

  

  

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• Consonance

  

  

  

  

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• Aphorism

  

  

  

  

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• Caesura

  

  

  

  

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“To a Mouse” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Wee
• Sleekit
• Cowran
• Tim'rous
• Beastie
• Thy
• Breastie
• Thou
• Na
• Start
• Awa
• Sae
• Wi'
• Bickerin brattle
• Wad
• Laith
• Rin
• An'
• Thee
• Murd'ring
• Pattle
• Dominion
• Justifies
• Whyles
• Thieve
• Maun
• Daimen-icker
• Thrave
• 'S
• Sma'
• Blessin
• Lave
• 'T
• Wee-bit
• Housie
• Silly wa's
• Win's
• Strewin'
• Naething
• Big
• Ane
• O'
• Foggage green
• Ensuin
• Baith
• Snell
• Keen
• Waste
• Cozie
• Coulter
• Past
• Thro'
• Cell
• Stibble
• Monie
• Thou's
• But
• Hald
• Thole
• Cranreuch cauld
• Art
• Thy-lane
• Foresight
• Vain
• Best Laid Schemes
• Gang Aft Agley
• Lea'e
• Nought
• Blest
• Compar’d
• Toucheth
• Backward Cast My E’e
• Prospects
• Drear
• Tho'
• Canna

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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “To a Mouse”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“To a Mouse” Speaker

“To a Mouse” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “To a Mouse”

More “To a Mouse” Resources

• External Resources

  • The Robert Burns Encyclopedia — Find information here on Robert Burns's life, poems, and the people and places he knew.

  • Robert Burns Night — Learn about Robert Burns Night, an annual event celebrating Burns's life and works, and find digital resources like a Robert Burns app and podcast.

  • Robert Burns Biography — Learn about Robert Burns's life in this detailed biography, which focuses on his growth as a poet.

  • Recitation of "To a Mouse" — Listen to "To a Mouse" recited by the actor Christopher Tait, an actor who performs at Burns Nights and other Scottish events around the world.

  • "To a Mouse" Original Printing — View a digitized copy of the "Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect" (sometimes called the Kilmarnock Edition), in which "To a Mouse" was first published in 1785.

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