Short StoriesNo. 8559 · The 2026 edition
Halloween
A haunting verse that captures the eerie magic of All Hallows' Eve.
Our own summary of the original — the full post and photos live at en.wikipedia.org.
This poem paints a vivid picture of Halloween night, from the rustling leaves and flickering jack-o'-lanterns to the whispered secrets of the dark. It explores themes of fear, fun, and the thin veil between worlds.
About this
This page covers Robert Burns's 1785 poem 'Halloween'. It outlines the poem's background, its publication in the 1786 Kilmarnock volume, and its use of Scots and English. It also discusses the poem's connection to an earlier Halloween poem by John Mayne and summarises its analysis and characteristics.
Facts from the original
- Halloween is a poem by Scottish poet Robert Burns, written in 1785.
- It was first published in 1786 and is included in the Kilmarnock volume.
- The poem is one of Burns's longer works.
- It uses a mixture of Scots and English.
- John Mayne of Dumfries, South West Scotland, attempted a poem on Halloween in 1780.
- Mayne was a comparatively obscure follower of the Scottish Muses.
- Mayne's poem has twelve stanzas.
- Mayne's poem notes Halloween pranks and the supernatural, referring to ghosts as 'Bogies'.
- Mayne's poem appeared in Ruddimans Weekly Magazine in November 1780.
- The magazine was published by Walter Ruddiman in Edinburgh.
- Burns appears to have seen and been influenced by Mayne's composition.
- Burns communicates with Mayne's work and echoes some of his imagery.
- According to Burns, Halloween is thought to be a night when witches, devils and other mischief-making beings are abroad on baneful midnight errands.
- The analysis describes the poem as one recited by Scots at Halloween.
- Burns's poetry revolves around country and town life, the life he knew.
- By using Scots alongside English, Burns gives an account of the charms of the West of Scotland.
- The poem has 28 stanzas.
- The page cites references including works by Robert Burns, James Logie Robertson, Alexander Smith, Robert Chambers, Thomas Crawford, and Charles Knight.
- External links include the full text of Halloween at Wikisource and Poems And Songs Of Robert Burns by Robert Burns.
From the original
Robert Burns wrote 'Halloween' in 1785, and it first appeared in print in 1786 in the Kilmarnock volume. It is one of his longer poems and mixes Scots with English. The background section traces an earlier Halloween poem by John Mayne of Dumfries, a relatively obscure Scottish poet, who wrote a twelve-stanza piece in 1780. Mayne's poem, published in Ruddimans Weekly Magazine in November 1780 by Walter Ruddiman in Edinburgh, mentions Halloween pranks and supernatural ghosts called 'Bogies'. Burns evidently saw and was influenced by Mayne's work, echoing some of its imagery. Burns described Halloween as a night when witches, devils and other mischief-making beings roam on harmful midnight errands. The analysis section describes 'Halloween' as a poem recited by Scots at Halloween and notes that Burns's poetry often centres on the country and town life he knew; by using Scots and English, he gives an account of the charms of the West of Scotland. The characteristics section states that the poem has 28 stanzas. The page also provides references and external links to the full text at Wikisource and to Poems And Songs Of Robert Burns.
