Willie Wastle, also known as 'Sic a wife Willie had' as a grotesquely funny poem / song about how unbelievably ugly Willie's wife is. Robert Burns wrote this poem in 1792 and he goes into comically hideous detail about this poor woman's appearance.
The actual reason, or inspiration behind Robert Burns writing 'Willie Wastle' has been lost to history, but two different thoughts remain. One is that it is cover for some political rant about an incident or argument that has been long forgotten. The other thought is its actually about a specific woman. If it is about a specific woman then she probably annoyed or angered Robert in some way and he has repaid that anger by ripping her apart in verse.
Listen to this episode, hear the description of this unfortunate woman, (I explain all the Scots words so its easy to understand), and decide for yourself what the poem is actually about...
Slange Var !
Willie Wastle, also known as 'Sic a wife Willie had' as a grotesquely funny poem / song about how unbelievably ugly Willie's wife is. Robert Burns wrote this poem in 1792 and he goes into comically hideous detail about this poor woman's appearance.
The actual reason, or inspiration behind Robert Burns writing 'Willie Wastle' has been lost to history, but two different thoughts remain. One is that it is cover for some political rant about an incident or argument that has been long forgotten. The other thought is its actually about a specific woman. If it is about a specific woman then she probably annoyed or angered Robert in some way and he has repaid that anger by ripping her apart in verse.
Listen to this episode, hear the description of this unfortunate woman, (I explain all the Scots words so its easy to understand), and decide for yourself what the poem is actually about...
Slange Var !