On Chloris requesting me to give her a spray of a sloe-thorn in full blossom.

Key details

Archive number: NTS/02/25/BRN/02/56
Alt. number: 3.6197
On display: No
Creator: Burns, Robert (Author)
Recipient: Lorimer, Jean

Explore correspondence between the creator and recipient

Description

On Chloris requesting me to give her a spray of a sloe-thorn in full blossom. Begins "From the white-blossom'd sloe, my dear". one four-line verse; followed by a second verse.

Burns wrote this short four-line verse for Jean Lorimer, also known as 'Chloris', in 1794. Jean (1775 - 1831) was the inspiration of nearly 24 songs, including Lassie wi' the Lintwhite Locks.

Jean was the daughter of William Lorimer, a good friend of the poet who lived a few miles from Ellisland farm. Jean's good looks attracted many employees of the Excise, with Robert writing several poems for his friends to use in their attempts to woo her. Unfortunately for them, she eloped to Gretna Green with an untrustworthy man who left her three weeks later to escape his creditors. She soon after moved back home with her father.

Robert found Jean to be a great source of inspiration for his work. In writing to George Thomson in 1794, he said '[Jean] is in a manner to me what Sterne's Eliza was to him; a Mistress or Friend, or what you will, in the guise of Platonic Love'.

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Robert Burns, collection of poems and songs ( )
On Chloris requesting me to give her a spray of a sloe-thorn in full blossom.

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