BIB_ID
293853
Accession number
MA 50.4
Creator
Burns, Robert, 1759-1796.
Display Date
[1794 Sept.].
Credit line
Purchased by Pierpont Morgan, 1906.
Description
1 item (4 p.) ; 22.8 cm
Notes
"Ca' the yowes to the knowes" first line: Ca' the yowes to the knowes.
"Ca' the yowes to the knowes" with a single edit by Burns and as published in Kinsley.
Part of a large collection of letters from Robert Burns to George Thomson. Items are described individually; see collection record (MA 47 and MA 50) for more information.
"Ca' the yowes to the knowes" with a single edit by Burns and as published in Kinsley.
Part of a large collection of letters from Robert Burns to George Thomson. Items are described individually; see collection record (MA 47 and MA 50) for more information.
Inscriptions/Markings
Watermark: Cursive "B" inside double circle.
Summary
Withdrawing his song "O'er the seas & far away" (i.e., "On the seas and far away -- Tune, O'er the hills &c."). Noting that "making a poem is like begetting a son: you cannot know whether you have a wise man or a fool, untill you produce him to the world & try him." Discussing the production of "Ca' the yowes to the knowes," mentioning Mr. Clarke's involvement and an early draft given to James Johnson. Giving revised verses.
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