Poetry Wednesday; To A Mouse, Burns

"To a Mouse".
On turning her up in her nest with the plough,
November 1785.........
By Rabbie Burns
Sign in and take the tour

http://lauritasita.multiply.com/journal/item/1226/Poetry_Wednesday_031809_Sign_in_and_take_the_tour

Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty
Wi' bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee
Wi' murd'ring pattle!
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!

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

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.
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!
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!

Still thou are 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!

Paintings by Stephanie MacLean,
Scottish landscape painter
currently living and working in California.

http://www.black-isle.co.uk/smaclean/index.html

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/stephanie-maclean.html

Stephanie says of herself and her art; ‘’My art is heavily influenced by the simplicity and symmetry which I see in the landscape’’.

‘’Each painting is based on my extensive travels through the countryside that I portray. I paint in my studio using both photography and my knowledge of the specific locations to equally influence the art. As I paint I like to visualize the entire landscape including the contours and valleys not visible in the final painting. My current focus is on contemporary landscape and seascapes. I love to portray the dramatic Northern California scenery where I currectly live, in addition to my native North of Scotland which has a very different kind of beauty’’.

This is a very clever animated film of Burns himself reciting the poem. This video is covered by copyright to Jim Clark who very kindly gave his permission for me to use it.