To a Mouse
On Turning Her up in Her Nest with the Plow,
November, 1785
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 prattle!
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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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I doubt na, whiles, 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,
And never miss 't!
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!
Thou saw the fields laid bare and waste,
An' weary winter comin' fast,
An' cozy here, beneath the blast,
Thou thought to dwell,
Till crash! the cruel coulter passed
Out-through thy cell.
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20
25
30
To a Mouse
While plowing on a November day,
Burns ruined the nest of a field mouse.
Lines 1-6
Small, sleek, cowering, timid beast,
O, how you are scared!
You don't have to run away,
Quickly scampering.
I'd never run and chase you
With murdering stick.
Lines 7-12
I'm truly sorry man's civilization
Has broken nature's cycle,
And this justifies the fear
That made you run
From me, you poor, friend on earth
And fellow mortal
Lines 13-18
I believe that sometimes you may steal;
So what? Poor beast, you need to live!
An occasional ear in every 24 bushels
Is a small request:
I'll be blessed for this good deed
And never miss it!
Lines 19-24
Your small house is in ruin;
It's fragile walls the winds have thrown,
And there is nothing to build a new one
Of grasses green;
And bleak December winds are beginning,
Cold and keen.
Lines 25-30
You saw the fields laid bare and to waste,
And weary winter coming fast,
And cozy there beneath the blast,
You thought to dwell,
Till crash! The cruel plow crushed
Your little cell.
That wee-bit heap o' leaves an' stibble
Has cost thee mony a weary nibble!
Now thou's turned out, for a' thy trouble,
But house or hald,
To thole the winter's sleety dribble,
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An' cranreuch cauld!
Lines 31-36
Your small nest of leaves and stubble,
Had cost you many a weary nibble.
Now you're turned out, in spite of all your
trouble,
Of house and home.
To feel the winter's sleety drizzle
And frosty cold.
But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Lines 37-42
But, Mousie, you are not alone,
In finding foresight may be in vain:
Gang aft a-gley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promised joy.
Still thou art blest compared wi' me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But och! I backward cast my e'e
On prospects drear!
An' forward though I canna see,
I guess an' fear!
Robert Burns - 1785
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The best laid plans of mice and men,
Go oft astray,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
To end our day.
Lines 43-48
Still you are blessed, compared to me!
The present only touches you,
But, oh, I look backward in my life
On plans failed,
And forward, though I cannot see,
I guess and fear.
Some translation borrowed from William Curran
www.robertburns.org
“To a Mouse” by Robert Burns
The mouse in the poem had been planning and preparing for the cold winter when Burns plowed over his
nest.
Write about a time that you had planned for something to turn out one way, and it ended up another.
Some things to consider:
 Did any circumstances beyond your control contribute to the spoiling of your plans?
 How did you react?
 What choices did you make to adapt to the situation?
 Would you have done anything differently, knowing what you know now?