Halloween (poem)

Early literary work of Halloween

Edward Scriven's engraving of John Masey Wright's illustration to Robert Burns' Halloween

Halloween[a]

> Upon that night, when fairies light
>  On Cassilis Downans[b] dance,
>  Or owre the lays, in splendid blaze,
>  On sprightly coursers prance;
>  Or for Colean the rout is ta'en,
>  Beneath the moon's pale beams;
>  There, up the Cove,[c] to stray an' rove,
>  Amang the rocks and streams
>  To sport that night;

> [...]

—Robert Burns[1]

"Halloween" is a poem written by the Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1785.[1] First published in 1786, the poem is included in the Kilmarnock Edition. It is one of Burns' longer poems, with twenty-eight stanzas, and employs a mixture of Scots and English.[2][3]

## Background

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The poet John Mayne from Dumfries, "a comparatively obscure follower of the Scottish Muses," wrote a poem about Halloween in 1780.[4] Having twelve stanzas, the poem makes note of pranks at Halloween; "What fearfu' pranks ensue!", as well as the supernatural associated with the night, "Bogies" (ghosts).[4][5] The poem appeared in Ruddimans Weekly Magazine, November 1780, published by Walter Ruddiman in Edinburgh.[4] That the Ayrshire poet Burns actually saw and was influenced by Mayne's composition is apparent, as he appears to communicate with Mayne's work, and also echoes some of his imagery.[4][6] According to Burns, Halloween is "thought to be a night when witches, devils, and other mischief-making beings are all abroad on their baneful midnight errands".[7]

## Notes

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1. ^ Is thought to be a night when witches, devils, and other mischief-making beings are abroad on their baneful midnight errands; particularly those aerial people, the fairies, are said on that night to hold a grand anniversary,.—R.B.
2. ^ Certain little, romantic, rocky, green hills, in the neighbourhood of the ancient seat of the Earls of Cassilis.—R.B.
3. ^ A noted cavern near Colean house, called the Cove of Colean; which, as well as Cassilis Downans, is famed, in country story, for being a favorite haunt of fairies.—R.B.

## References

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1. ^ a b Alexander Smith (1868). Poems, Songs and Letters, being the complete works of Robert Burns. Edited from the best printed and manuscript authorities, with glossarial index and a biographical memoir by Alexander Smith. (The Globe edition.). Macmillan & Company. pp. 44–7.44-7&rft.pub=Macmillan+&+Company&rft.date=1868&rft.au=Alexander+Smith&rft_id=https://books.google.com/books?id=tP40AAAAMAAJ&pg;=PA44&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Halloween+(poem)" class="Z3988">
2. ^ Robert Burns, Alexander Smith Poems, songs, and letters: being the complete works of Robert Burns, edited from the best printed and manuscript authorities with glossarial index and a biographical memoir Macmillan and co., 1868
3. ^ BBC - Robert Burns - Halloween BBC
4. ^ a b c d Robert Chambers The life and works of Robert Burns, Volume 1 Lippincott, Grambo & co., 1854
5. ^ "Ulster Scots - Words and Phrases:"Bogie"". BBC. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
6. ^ Thomas Crawford Burns: a study of the poems and songs Stanford University Press, 1960
7. ^ The Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. Vol. 1\. Charles Knight. 1833. p. 342. Retrieved 14 January 2011.

## External links

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* The full text of Halloween at Wikisource
* Poems And Songs Of Robert Burns by Robert Burns

* v
* t
* e

Robert Burns

Poems|

* "Comin' Thro' the Rye" (1782)
* "John Barleycorn" (1782)
* "Man Was Made to Mourn" (1784)
* "Address to the Deil" (1785)
* "Epitaph for James Smith" (1785)
* "Halloween" (1785)
* "Handsome Nell" (1774)
* "Holy Willie's Prayer" (1785)
* "To a Mouse" (1785)
* The Kilmarnock volume (1786)
* "To a Louse" (1786)
* "To a Mountain Daisy" (1786)
* "The Cotter's Saturday Night" (1786)
* "The Battle of Sherramuir" (1787)
* "The Birks of Aberfeldy" (1787)
* "The Holy Tulzie" (1784)
* "Auld Lang Syne" (1788)
* "My Heart's in the Highlands" (1789)
* "Tam o' Shanter" (1790)
* "Ae Fond Kiss" (1791)
* "Such a Parcel of Rogues in a Nation" (1791)
* "Ye Jacobites by Name" (1791)
* "Sweet Afton" (1791)
* "The Slave's Lament" (1792)
* "Oh, whistle and I'll come to you, my lad" (1793)
* "Scots Wha Hae" (1793)
* "A Red, Red Rose" (1794)
* "Ca' the yowes" (revised, 1794)
* "A Man's A Man for A' That" (1795)

Books|

* "Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect"
* "Edinburgh"
* "Belfast"
* "Dublin Variant"
* "London"
* "The Dunlop Burns"
* "The Geddes Burns"

Places|

* Brownhill Inn
* Burns Cottage
* Drukken Steps
* Ellisland Farm
* Friars Carse
* The Hermitage, Friars Carse
* Irvine Burns Club
* Millmannoch
* Mossgiel Farm
* Robert Burns and the Eglinton Estate
* Writers' Museum

Family|

* Jean Armour (wife)
* Robert Burns Junior (son)
* Francis Wallace Burns (son)
* William Nicol Burns (son)
* Elizabeth 'Betty' Burns (natural daughter)
* James Glencairn Burns (son)
* Agnes Broun (mother)
* William Burnes (father)
* Gilbert Burns (brother)
* Agnes Burns (sister)
* Annabella Burns (sister)
* William Burns (brother)
* John Burns (brother)
* Isabella Burns (sister)
* Adam Armour (brother-in-law)
* James Armour (father-in-law)
* Robert Burnes (uncle)

People|

* Robert Aiken
* Robert Ainslie
* John Anderson
* John Bacon (landlord)
* John Ballantine
* Alison Begbie
* Thomas Blacklock
* Nelly Blair
* Richard Brown
* May Cameron
* Mary Campbell
* Margaret Chalmers
* Jenny Clow
* Alison Cockburn
* Alexander Cunningham (lawyer)
* Lord Glencairn
* Frances Dunlop
* Robert Fergusson
* Alexander Findlater
* Jean Gardner
* Jean Glover
* Robert Graham of Fintry
* Gavin Hamilton
* Helen Hyslop
* Nelly Kilpatrick
* John Lewars
* Janet Little
* Jean Lorimer (Chloris)
* James McKie
* John MacKenzie
* Agnes Maclehose
* John McMurdo
* William Maxwell
* John Murdoch
* William Nicol
* Anna Park
* Elizabeth Paton
* John Richmond
* James Smith
* David Sillar
* John Syme
* Alexander Tait
* Robert Tannahill
* Peggy Thompson
* Edward Whigham

Related|

* Glenriddell Manuscripts
* Bachelors' Club, Tarbolton
* Burns Clubs
* Robert Burns World Federation
* Bust of Robert Burns
* Irvine
* Atlanta
* Burns supper
* Memorials
* Kilmarnock
* Robert Burns's Commonplace Book 1783–1785
* Robert Burns's Interleaved Scots Musical Museum
* Montreal
* Barre
* Albany
* Boston
* Robert Burns (Stevenson)
* Robert Burns (Steell)
* Robert Burns's diamond point engravings
* Robert Burns and the Eglinton Estate
* Robert Burns Humanitarian Award
* The Loves of Robert Burns (1930 film)
* "The Marriage of Robin Redbreast and the Wren"
* "The Merry Muses of Caledonia"
* The Poetical Works of Janet Little, The Scotch Milkmaid
* A Manual of Religious Belief

* v
* t
* e

Halloween

Main topics|

* History
* Samhain
* Allhallowtide
* Symbols
* Activities
* Geography
* Christian observances

Traditions|

* Trick-or-treating
* Trunk-or-treating
* Costumes
* Apple bobbing
* Cards
* Ghost tours
* Halloween Tree
* Jack-o'-lantern
* Stingy Jack
* Connecticut field pumpkin
* Prayer for the dead
* Pangangaluluwa
* Votive candles

Food|

* Apple
* Apple cider
* Barmbrack
* Bonfire toffee
* Cake
* Candy
* Candy apple
* Candy corn
* Candy pumpkin
* Caramel apple
* Caramel corn
* Cookies
* Doughnuts
* Feetloaf
* Monster cereals
* Pão por Deus
* Pumpkin
* Pumpkin pie
* Rutabaga
* Soul cake

Events|

* Bonfire
* Haunted attraction
* Hell house
* Pumpkin festival
* Pumpkin Queen
* Pumpkin Weeks

Media|

* Books
* Films
* Music
* albums
* songs
* Television
* Great Pumpkin
* Treehouse of Horror

Related
events|

| Festival of the Dead|

* Bon Festival
* Chuseok
* Día de Muertos
* Gai Jatra
* Pitru Paksha
* Qingming Festival
* Totensonntag
* Zhōng yuán jié

|

Veneration of the Dead|

* Death anniversary
* Death customs
* Kaddish
* Yizkor

Other events|

* Allantide
* All Saints' Day
* All Souls' Day
* Beggars Night
* Devil's Night
* Dziady
* Eid il-Burbara
* Hop-tu-Naa
* Kekri
* Korochun
* Mischief Night
* Namahage
* Old Halloween
* Punkie Night
* Saci Day

Category: Halloween
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