Background to the poem

This short poem is set in an almost magical landscape: a lonely woodland, with a ‘sweet Robin’ prophesying death. Our heroine, Maisie, is described only as ‘proud’, perhaps suggesting youthfulness, or beauty. All this is to come to nothing, though, as the bird warns of a solemn future. There is a contrast between what we might expect from this ‘sweet’, ‘bonny’ creature that is ‘singing so rarely’ and the harsh news that he delivers.

Maisie seems to ignore the bird’s first hint that she will be carried to the church by ‘six braw gentlemen’. Does she assume that these men are suitors rather than coffin bearers? Is this because of her pride? She asks again who she will marry. The robin’s response this time is unequivocal: he explains that the only man to make Maisie’s bed will be the sexton at her grave. The word ‘grave’ is repeated in emphasis.

The rhythm of the poem is reminiscent of a bell tolling, perhaps heralding the funeral knell which the robin foretells. Notice the rhyme pattern in the poem and compare it to that of well-known nursery rhymes. What does this poem suggest about the themes of love and death?

About Walter Scott

Born in Edinburgh, and trained as a lawyer, Walter Scott became an internationally popular poet, playwright and novelist. Scott’s influences include classical myths and legends, the German Romantics and the oral traditions of the Scottish Borders. His first published works were translations, and his most famous writing includes the poems ‘The Lady of the Lake’ and ‘The Lay of the Last Minstrel’.

His poetry is often narrative in style and tends to follow the rhythms and rhymes of the traditional ballad form. Although his poems are intended to be read rather than sung, there is an inherent musicality to the language.

In his forties, Scott concentrated on writing novels, including Ivanhoe, Waverley and Rob Roy, and he is now regarded by many as the father of the modern novel. His influence can be seen in writing by authors such as Elizabeth Gaskell and the Brontë sisters.

Read more about Walter Scott in the
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography