To a Mouse

“The Life and Death of Habbie Simson the Piper of Kilbarchan" by Robert Sempill (c. 1640)

Robert Sempill was an early influence in modern Scottish poetry. Not only was Sempill one of the first Scottish poets to write in a modified Scots dialect and to gain a significant reputation among English audiences, he popularized the standard Haggie stanza. The standard Haggie is one of the most popular Scottish forms and dominates the writing of Burns and his contemporaries. This Scots ballad, “The Life and Death of Habbie Simson,” is responsible for pioneering the form.

“To a Louse" by Robert Burns (1786)

“To a Louse” shares many elements with Burn’s “To a Mouse.” Besides the fact that both poems choose “Destested, shunn’d” creatures as their subjects (“To a Louse,” Line 8), “To a Louse” further demonstrates Burns’s tendency to empathize with non-human animals, regardless of their size. “To a Louse” is nearly identical in form to “To a Mouse,” as well. Both are made up of eight standard Haggies, and use their subtitle to suggest a spontaneous occasion led to their composition. “To a Louse” is a strong example of Burns’s comedic use of standard Haggies.