On John Morine, Laird of Laggan
written in 1793
death
rhymed verse
playful
When Morine, deceased, to the Devil went down, 'Twas nothing would serve him but Satan's own crown: Thy fool's head, quoth Satan, that crown shall wear never; I grant thou'rt as wicked - but not quite so clever.
On John Morine, Laird of Laggan - context Summary
Written in 1793
Composed in 1793, this short satirical piece by Robert Burns presents a comic epitaph for John Morine, laird of Laggan. It imagines Morine arriving in Hell and attempting to claim Satan’s crown, only to be rebuffed with a cutting rebuke: he may be wicked, but he’s not clever enough for that prize. The poem uses blunt humor and irony to reduce its subject, turning moral judgment into a jest and emphasizing Burns’s ability to caricature social figures with economy and wit.
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