Holy Willie's Prayer
Encyclopedia
Holy Willie's Prayer is a poem by Robert Burns
. It was written in 1785 and first printed anonymously in an eight page pamphlet in 1799.
It is considered the greatest of all Burns' satirical poems, one of the finest satires by any poet, and a withering attack on religious hypocrisy.http://www.britannica.com/shakespeare/article-12921
It is written in the Scots
language, but is accessible to most modern English readers.
), as told by the (fictional) self-justifying prayer
of a (real) kirk elder, Holy Willie. Throughout the poem, Holy Willie displays his hypocrisy by justifying his own transgressions while simultaneously asking God to judge harshly and show no mercy to his fellow transgressors. Burns used the example of Holy Willie to make the point that the Calvinist theology
underpinning the entire Kirk was equally hypocritical.
The Kirk was still a powerful moral force in Burns' day, and one which he believed he had a justified grievance against. Burns felt that belief in predestination
, whether to salvation
or damnation
, could make people morally reckless, because their salvation was believed to rest, not on their own moral actions but on the "election" to salvation by an inscrutable God. He observed that belief in predestination, particularly to salvation, could have the additional tendency to make people insufferably self-righteous. It is this last tendency in particular, and the more general theological and moral
sterility embodied in much of the teachings of the contemporary Kirk, that he rails against very effectively in this work.
Willie's soapy sanctimony is alternated with his self-justifying tales of his own fornication and other transgressions with very great skill. The characters are drawn from real life, with no names being changed.
who conceived a dislike for Gavin Hamilton, a landlord and almoner (treasurer
) in the kirk. Hamilton was suspected of financial impropriety when inconsistencies in the accounts were discovered. It may be (this was Hamilton's defence) that the deficit was the result of Hamilton's kindly acts in forgiving the debts of those who were unable to pay their tax to the kirk.
Fisher spied on Hamilton and added the charges of:
Fisher's complaint against Hamilton was heard and adjudicated by the Presbytery of Ayr, as is stated in Burn's own commentary on the poem. (In the Presbyterian polity
of the Church of Scotland, a presbytery is a regional council of ministers and elders. It may function as a court when complaints against members, or more likely, ministers are brought to it.) Hamilton won the case. Hence, Holy Willie complains bitterly to God not only against Hamilton himself but also against the Presbytery: "Lord, hear my earnest cry and pray'r, Against that Presbyt'ry o' Ayr!"
Willie Fisher never recovered from the ignominy of this public defeat, and, legend has it, was found dead in a ditch with a bottle of whisky
.
Burns' commentary appears in an early manuscript of the poem and is often printed with the poem in modern editions:
'Holy Willie was a rather oldish bachelor elder, in the parish of Mauchline, and much and justly famed for that polemical chattering which ends in tippling orthodoxy, and for that spiritualized bawdry which refines to liquorish devotion. In a sessional process with a gentleman in Mauchline, a Mr. Gavin Hamilton, Holy Willie and his priest, Father Auld, after a full hearing in the Presbytery of Ayr, came off but second best, owing partly to the oratorical powers of Mr. Robert Aiken, Mr. Hamilton's counsel, but chiefly to Mr. Hamilton's being one of the most irreproachable and truly respectable characters in the country. On losing his process, the muse overheard him at his devotions.'
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
. It was written in 1785 and first printed anonymously in an eight page pamphlet in 1799.
It is considered the greatest of all Burns' satirical poems, one of the finest satires by any poet, and a withering attack on religious hypocrisy.http://www.britannica.com/shakespeare/article-12921
It is written in the Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
language, but is accessible to most modern English readers.
Analysis
The poem is an attack on the bigotry and hypocrisy of some members of the Kirk (ChurchChurch of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
), as told by the (fictional) self-justifying prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
of a (real) kirk elder, Holy Willie. Throughout the poem, Holy Willie displays his hypocrisy by justifying his own transgressions while simultaneously asking God to judge harshly and show no mercy to his fellow transgressors. Burns used the example of Holy Willie to make the point that the Calvinist theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
underpinning the entire Kirk was equally hypocritical.
The Kirk was still a powerful moral force in Burns' day, and one which he believed he had a justified grievance against. Burns felt that belief in predestination
Predestination
Predestination, in theology is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God. John Calvin interpreted biblical predestination to mean that God willed eternal damnation for some people and salvation for others...
, whether to salvation
Salvation
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
or damnation
Damnation
Damnation is the concept of everlasting divine punishment and/or disgrace, especially the punishment for sin as threatened by God . A damned being "in damnation" is said to be either in Hell, or living in a state wherein they are divorced from Heaven and/or in a state of disgrace from God's favor...
, could make people morally reckless, because their salvation was believed to rest, not on their own moral actions but on the "election" to salvation by an inscrutable God. He observed that belief in predestination, particularly to salvation, could have the additional tendency to make people insufferably self-righteous. It is this last tendency in particular, and the more general theological and moral
Moral
A moral is a message conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim...
sterility embodied in much of the teachings of the contemporary Kirk, that he rails against very effectively in this work.
Willie's soapy sanctimony is alternated with his self-justifying tales of his own fornication and other transgressions with very great skill. The characters are drawn from real life, with no names being changed.
The story of the real Holy Willie
Willie Fisher (Holy Willie) was an elder of Daddy Auld's kirk in MauchlineMauchline
Mauchline is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a recorded population of 4105. It lies by the Glasgow and South Western Railway line, 8 miles east-southeast of Kilmarnock and 11 miles northeast of Ayr. It is situated on a gentle slope about 1 mile from the River Ayr,...
who conceived a dislike for Gavin Hamilton, a landlord and almoner (treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
) in the kirk. Hamilton was suspected of financial impropriety when inconsistencies in the accounts were discovered. It may be (this was Hamilton's defence) that the deficit was the result of Hamilton's kindly acts in forgiving the debts of those who were unable to pay their tax to the kirk.
Fisher spied on Hamilton and added the charges of:
- Travelling on the Sabbath.
- Not reading the Bible on a Sunday.
- Digging his garden on the Sabbath (hence the reference to 'kail and potatoes' in the poem)
Fisher's complaint against Hamilton was heard and adjudicated by the Presbytery of Ayr, as is stated in Burn's own commentary on the poem. (In the Presbyterian polity
Presbyterian polity
Presbyterian polity is a method of church governance typified by the rule of assemblies of presbyters, or elders. Each local church is governed by a body of elected elders usually called the session or consistory, though other terms, such as church board, may apply...
of the Church of Scotland, a presbytery is a regional council of ministers and elders. It may function as a court when complaints against members, or more likely, ministers are brought to it.) Hamilton won the case. Hence, Holy Willie complains bitterly to God not only against Hamilton himself but also against the Presbytery: "Lord, hear my earnest cry and pray'r, Against that Presbyt'ry o' Ayr!"
Willie Fisher never recovered from the ignominy of this public defeat, and, legend has it, was found dead in a ditch with a bottle of whisky
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
.
Burns' commentary appears in an early manuscript of the poem and is often printed with the poem in modern editions:
'Holy Willie was a rather oldish bachelor elder, in the parish of Mauchline, and much and justly famed for that polemical chattering which ends in tippling orthodoxy, and for that spiritualized bawdry which refines to liquorish devotion. In a sessional process with a gentleman in Mauchline, a Mr. Gavin Hamilton, Holy Willie and his priest, Father Auld, after a full hearing in the Presbytery of Ayr, came off but second best, owing partly to the oratorical powers of Mr. Robert Aiken, Mr. Hamilton's counsel, but chiefly to Mr. Hamilton's being one of the most irreproachable and truly respectable characters in the country. On losing his process, the muse overheard him at his devotions.'
Glossary
- pet = huff
- ane = one
- a' = all
- sic = such
- sax = six
- fashed = irked
- yestreen = last night
- maun = must
- fou = drunk
- kail = cabbage
- splore = row
- gear = wealth