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Read & copy
“Wee modest crimson-tippèd flow’r, Thou’s met me in an evil hour; For I maun crush amang the stoure Thy slender stem:”
Meaning & context
The speaker addresses the small flower with regret as the plough destroys it, turning an accidental act against nature into a meditation on vulnerability.
Source details
“To a Mountain Daisy,” written 1786, represented in Project Gutenberg #18388. This is the opening excerpt; Burns later extends the flower’s fate into reflections on human fragility and uncertainty.