Lyric Poem · Nature

On the Birth of a Posthumous Child

by Robert Burns

Reading room

1SWEET flow’ret, pledge o’ meikle love,

2 And ward o’ mony a prayer,

3What heart o’ stane wad thou na move,

4 Sae helpless, sweet, and fair?

5November hirples o’er the lea,

6 Chill, on thy lovely form:

7And gane, alas! the shelt’ring tree,

8 Should shield thee frae the storm.

9May He who gives the rain to pour,

10 And wings the blast to blaw,

11Protect thee frae the driving show’r,

12 The bitter frost and snaw.

13May He, the friend o’ Woe and Want,

14 Who heals life’s various stounds,

15Protect and guard the mother plant,

16 And heal her cruel wounds.

17But late she flourish’d, rooted fast,

18 Fair in the summer morn,

19Now feebly bends she in the blast,

20 Unshelter’d and forlorn.

21Blest be thy bloom, thou lovely gem,

22 Unscath’d by ruffian hand!

23And from thee many a parent stem

24 Arise to deck our land!

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“On the Birth of a Posthumous Child” by Robert Burns — quilloak.com/poems/on-the-birth-of-a-posthumous-child

Quick facts

Poem: On the Birth of a Posthumous Child
Poet: Robert Burns
Length: 24 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Nature, Love, Sad

Craft notes

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Shape: 24 lines · 6 quatrains
Line length: Lines run 6-8 syllables (median 7). No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.

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Author record: Robert Burns1759–1796
Source record: PoetryDBOn the Birth of a Posthumous Child by robert-burns, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision: Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record: Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint: SHA-256 5930bc0c0ea3e3f0…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Nature Love Sad

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