This Sunday, Scots and fans of Robert Burns around the world will celebrate Burns Night. Born on 25 January 1759, Burns is Scotland’s most famous poet. Burns Suppers mark the occasion with whisky, haggis, tatties, neeps, and recitations of his works, including Ae Fond Kiss, To A Mouse, and Auld Lang Syne. One poem that often steals the show is Tam O’Shanter. First published in 1791, it’s a thrilling, funny, and surprisingly deep story that still captures readers’ imaginations today.
Why Scholars Call It a Masterpiece
Pauline Mackay, a professor of Robert Burns studies at the University of Glasgow, calls Tam O’Shanter Burns’ masterpiece. “It’s funny, exciting, and full of life, but it’s also layered,” she says. “Burns shows what drives people, what fascinates them, and how human nature really works.”
Robert Irvine, editor of Burns: Selected Poems and Songs, notes that the poem also has a dark side. Beneath the witches and devils, it explores temptation, curiosity, and human weakness in a way that still feels relevant today.
The Story of Tam O’Shanter
The poem follows Tam O’Shanter, a farmer who loves drinking almost as much as working. One evening in Ayr, he heads to the pub with his friend, Souter Johnnie, ignoring his wife Kate waiting at home. After hours of drinks and jokes with the landlady, Tam finally rides home on his horse, Maggie.
The stormy night makes the journey dangerous. He holds on tight to his blue bonnet and sings old Scottish songs to keep his spirits up. That “blue bonnet” inspired the name of flat beret hats called Tam O’Shanters.
A Witchy Encounter
As Tam passes Alloway’s Auld Kirk, he spots a magical scene. Witches and warlocks dance while the devil, Auld Nick, plays the bagpipes. Most of the witches are “rigwoodie hags,” but one young witch named Nannie catches his eye. Tam shouts, “Weel done, Cutty-sark!”—the only words he speaks in the poem.
The phrase means “Well done, Short Dress” and later became the name of the famous 19th-century ship, the Cutty Sark, now on display in Greenwich, London.
