"Reason drops headlong from his sacred throne."
— Burns, Robert (1759-1796)
Author
Work Title
Date
w. January 24, 1789
Metaphor
"Reason drops headlong from his sacred throne."
Metaphor in Context
'I burn, I burn, as when thro' ripen'd corn
By driving winds the crackling flames are borne.'
Now, maddening-wild, I curse that fatal night,
Now bless the hour that charm'd my guilty sight.
In vain the Laws their feeble force oppose:
Chain'd at his feet, they groan Love's vanquish'd foes.
In vain Religion meets my shrinking eye:
I dare not combat, but I turn and fly.
Conscience in vain upbraids th'unhallow'd fire.
Love grasps his scorpions--stifled they expire.
Reason drops headlong from his sacred throne.
Your dear idea reigns, and reigns alone;
Each thought intoxicated homage yields,
And riots wanton in forbidden fields.
By driving winds the crackling flames are borne.'
Now, maddening-wild, I curse that fatal night,
Now bless the hour that charm'd my guilty sight.
In vain the Laws their feeble force oppose:
Chain'd at his feet, they groan Love's vanquish'd foes.
In vain Religion meets my shrinking eye:
I dare not combat, but I turn and fly.
Conscience in vain upbraids th'unhallow'd fire.
Love grasps his scorpions--stifled they expire.
Reason drops headlong from his sacred throne.
Your dear idea reigns, and reigns alone;
Each thought intoxicated homage yields,
And riots wanton in forbidden fields.
Categories
Provenance
Searching "throne" and "reason" in HDIS (Poetry); found again "idea"
Citation
A fragment sent in a letter. See volume 2 of The Works of Robert Burns, ed. William Scott Douglas. (Edinburgh: Paterson, 1877). <Link to robertburns.org>
Date of Entry
07/19/2004
