The Stirling Lines of Robert Burns

The first couplet of the Burns lament to the state in which he found the town of Stirling in 1787 are commemorated in a mosaic at the Smith Art Gallery. The story goes that he etched the lines on the window of the hotel where he was staying. The poem was uncharitable about the Hanoverian Kings and, to avoid prosecution, Burns was forced to return to Stirling to smash the window and destroy the evidence.

The Smith was established in 1874 and is both a museum and an art gallery in the town. After a quick visit to see Mum this morning we had a walk over there. The weather isn’t conducive to much in the way of outdoor activity but I did a bit in the garden when we got home. The town was busy with people finishing work for the holidays and making merry.

Here’s the full 10 Stirling Lines:

Here Stuarts once in glory reign'd,
And laws for Scotland's weal ordain'd;
But now unroof'd their palace stands,
Their sceptre's sway'd by other hands;
The injured Stuart line is gone,
A race outlandish fills their throne;
An idiot race, to honour lost;
Who know them best despise them most.