Short StoriesNo. 5917 · The 2026 edition
Halloween (poem)
Our own summary of the original — the full post and photos live at en.wikipedia.org.
About this
A Wikipedia article about "Halloween", an 1785 poem by Scottish poet Robert Burns, first published in 1786 in the Kilmarnock volume. It covers the poem's background, analysis, and characteristics, including its 28 stanzas and its mixture of Scots and English. The page also discusses the earlier 1780 Halloween poem by John Mayne of Dumfries that likely influenced Burns.
Facts from the original
- Robert Burns wrote the poem "Halloween" in 1785.
- The poem was first published in 1786.
- It is included in the Kilmarnock volume.
- It is one of Burns's longer poems.
- The poem mixes Scots and English.
- John Mayne, a comparatively obscure follower of the Scottish Muses from Dumfries in South West Scotland, attempted a poem on Halloween in 1780.
- Mayne's poem has twelve stanzas.
- Mayne's poem notes Halloween pranks, with the line "What fearfu' pranks ensue!", and the supernatural associated with the night, "Bogies" (ghosts).
- Mayne's poem appeared in Ruddimans Weekly Magazine, November 1780, published by Walter Ruddiman in Edinburgh.
- Burns saw and was influenced by Mayne's composition, communicating with Mayne's work and echoing some of his imagery.
- According to Burns, Halloween is "thought to be a night when witches, devils, and other mischief-making beings are all abroad on their baneful midnight errands".
- The poem is 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.
- Edward Scriven made an engraving of John Masey Wright's illustration for Robert Burns's Halloween.
