Interconnected Lives: Human and Non-Human Fragility in Robert Burns’ Pastoral Poems

Abstract

This paper examines Robert Burns’ pastoral poems “To a Mouse” (1785) and “To a Mountain Daisy” (1786) through an ecocritical and ethical lens, exploring the poet’s nuanced engagement with human responsibility and the fragility of non-human life. Both poems depict the unintended consequences of human actions—ploughing a mouse’s nest and crushing a daisy—yet each conveys distinct thematic concerns: “To a Mouse” emphasizes unpredictability and shared vulnerability between humans and animals, while “To a Mountain Daisy” reflects on temporality, loss, and moral resonance. Through the use of personification, Scots dialect, and vivid imagery, Burns cultivates empathy for his non-human subjects and encourages reflection on the ethical dimensions of human intervention in nature. Drawing on scholarship from Noble, Pittock, and Huggan and Tiffin, this study situates Burns within early environmental thought, highlighting his capacity to intertwine pastoral aesthetics with moral and ecological consciousness. Ultimately, the paper argues that these poems exemplify Burns’ enduring relevance as a poet who foregrounds interconnectedness, vulnerability, and human responsibility in the natural world.

DOI - https://doi.org/10.65525/SVUP.9788199392045.2025.69-74