“To a Mouse” by Robert Burns
Original Scots Dialect
1 Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim'rous beastie,
2 O, what panic's in thy breastie!
3 Thou need na start awasae hasty,
4 Wi' bickering brattle!
5 I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
6 Wi' murd'ringpattle!
7 I'm truly sorry Man's dominion
8 Has broken Nature's social union,
9 An' justifies that ill opinion,
10 Which makes thee startle,
11 At me, thy poor, earth-born companion,
12 An' fellow-mortal!
13 I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve;
14 What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
15 A daimen-icker in a thrave
16 'S a sma' request:
17 I'll get a blessinwi' the lave,
18 An' never miss't!
19 Thy wee-bit housie, too, in ruin!
20 It's silly wa's the win's are strewin!
21 An' naething, now, to big a new ane,
22 O' foggage green!
23 An' bleak December's winds ensuin,
24 Baithsnell an' keen!
25 Thou saw the fields laid bare an' wast,
26 An' weary Winter comin fast,
27 An' cozie here, beneath the blast,
28 Thou thought to dwell,
29 Till crash! the cruel coulter past
30 Out thro' thy cell.
31 That wee-bit heap o' leaves an' stibble,
32 Has cost thee monie a weary nibble!
33 Now thou'sturn'd out, for a' thy trouble,
34 But house or hald.
35 To thole the Winter's sleety dribble,
36 An' cranreuchcauld!
37 But Mousie, thou are no thy-lane,
38 In proving foresight may be vain:
39 The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,
40 Gang aft agley,
41 An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
42 For promis'd joy!
43 Still, thou art blest, compar'dwi' me!
44 The present only toucheth thee:
45 But Och! I backward cast my e'e,
46 On prospects drear!
47 An' forward, tho' I canna see,
48 I guess an' fear! / Modern English Translation
1 Sleek, tiny, timorous, cowering beast,
2 why's such panic in your breast?
3 Why dash away, so quick, so rash,
4 in a frenzied flash
5 when I would be loath to run after you
6 with a murderous plowstaff!
7 I'm truly sorry Man's dominion
8 has broken Nature's social union,
9 and justifies that bad opinion
10 which makes you startle,
11 when I'm your poor, earth-born companion
12 and fellow mortal!
13 I have no doubt you sometimes thieve;
14 What of it, friend? You too must live!
15 A random corn-ear in a shock's
16 a small behest; it-
17 'll give me a blessing to know such a loss;
18 I'll never miss it!
19 Your tiny house lies in a ruin,
20 its fragile walls wind-rent and strewn!
21 Now nothing's left to construct you a new one
22 of mosses green
23 since bleak December's winds, ensuing,
24 blow fast and keen!
25 You saw your fields laid bare and waste
26 with weary winter closing fast,
27 and cozy here, beneath the blast,
28 you thought to dwell,
29 till crash! the cruel iron ploughshare passed
30 straight through your cell!
31 That flimsy heap of leaves and stubble
32 had cost you many a weary nibble!
33 Now you're turned out, for all your trouble,
34 less house and hold,
35 to endure cold winter's icy dribble
36 and hoarfrosts cold!
37 But mouse-friend, you are not alone
38 in proving foresight may be vain:
39 the best-laid schemes of Mice and Men
40 go oft awry,
41 and leave us only grief and pain,
42 for promised joy!
43 Still, friend, you're blessed compared with me!
44 Only present dangers make you flee:
45 But, ouch!, behind me I can see
46 grim prospects drear!
47 While forward-looking seers, we
48 humans guess and fear!
  1. What is the primary external conflict of the poem? What incident happens between the man and the mouse? What was the speaker doing that made the incident happen?
  1. What time of year is it? What image do you get of the weather?What is the significance of this time being chosen given the events and subject of the poem?
  1. How would you describe the speaker’s mood? Why do you think he feels this way?
  1. In Stanza 2 the speaker says: I'm truly sorry Man's dominion / Has broken Nature's social union.” Interpret the line. What is he apologizing for on a personal level? What is he apologizing for on a societal level?
  1. How does the speaker show he sympathizes with the mouse’s situation?Cite one line to prove this and explain
  1. How does the speaker put himself on similar or equal footing with the mouse? Cite one line to prove this and explain.
  1. What does the speaker say to show he’s actually even worse off than the mouse?(Final stanza) Cite one line to prove this and explain.
  1. Interpret the line: "the best-laid schemes of Mice and Men/go oft awry."[This is the theme of the poem] (stanza 7) What does this line mean? What life lesson does it teach us?