To a Mouse

Wee, sleekit, cow’rin, tim’rous beastie,sleekit sleek · beastie dim. of beast

O, what a panic’s in thy breastie!breastie dim. of breast

Thou need na start awa sae hasty,na nae · awa away

Wi’ bickering brattle!Wi’ with · bickering hurrying

I wad be laith to rin an’ chase thee,wad would · laith loath

Wi’ murd’ring pattle!pattle a plough-staff

I’m truly sorry man’s dominion,

Has broken nature’s social union,

An’ justifies that ill opinion,An’ and

Which makes thee startle

At me, thy poor, earth-born companion,

An’ fellow-mortal!

I doubt na, whiles, but thou may thieve;

What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!maun must

A daimen icker in a thravedaimen occasional · icker an ear of corn

’S a sma’ request;sma’ small

I’ll get a blessin wi’ the lave,lave the rest

An’ never miss’t!

Thy wee bit housie, too, in ruin!bit small (e.g.

It’s silly wa’s the win’s are strewin!

An’ naething, now, to big a new ane,naething naithing · big to build

O’ foggage green!O’ of

An’ bleak December’s winds ensuin,

Baith snell an’ keen!Baith both · snell bitter

Thou saw the fields laid bare an’ waste,

An’ weary winter comin fast,

An’ cozie here, beneath the blast,

Thou thought to dwell—

Till crash! the cruel coulter pastTill to

Out thro’ thy cell.

That wee bit heap o’ leaves an’ stibble,stibble stubble

Has cost thee mony a weary nibble!

Now thou’s turn’d out, for a’ thy trouble,a’ all

But house or hald,

To thole the winter’s sleety dribble,thole to endure · dribble drizzle

An’ cranreuch cauld!cranreuch hoar-frost · cauld cold

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane,lane lone

In proving foresight may be vain;

The best-laid schemes o’ mice an ’men

Gang aft agley,Gang to go · aft oft

An’lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,

For promis’d joy!

Still thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me

The present only toucheth thee:

But, Och! I backward cast my e’e.e’e eye

On prospects drear!

An’ forward, tho’ I canna see,canna can not

I guess an’ fear!