---
title: "On the Death of John M’Leod, Esq"
author: "Robert Burns"
form: "Poem"
year: "1787"
location: "Edinburgh"
source: "Project Gutenberg #1279 — Poems and Songs of Robert Burns"
source_url: "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1279/pg1279.txt"
canonical_url: "https://robert-burns.com/poems/on-the-death-of-john-mleod-esq/"
---

# On the Death of John M’Leod, Esq

## Preface
Brother to a young Lady, a particular friend of the Author’s.

## Poem
Sad thy tale, thou idle page,  
And rueful thy alarms:  
Death tears the brother of her love  
From Isabella’s arms.

Sweetly deckt with pearly dew  
The morning rose may blow;  
But cold successive noontide blasts  
May lay its beauties low.

Fair on Isabella’s morn  
The sun propitious smil’d;  
But, long ere noon, succeeding clouds  
Succeeding hopes beguil’d.

Fate oft tears the bosom chords  
That Nature finest strung;  
So Isabella’s heart was form’d,  
And so that heart was wrung.

Dread Omnipotence alone  
Can heal the wound he gave—  
Can point the brimful grief-worn eyes  
To scenes beyond the grave.

Virtue’s blossoms there shall blow,  
And fear no withering blast;  
There Isabella’s spotless worth  
Shall happy be at last.

---

Source: [Project Gutenberg #1279 — Poems and Songs of Robert Burns](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1279/pg1279.txt)  
Canonical HTML: https://robert-burns.com/poems/on-the-death-of-john-mleod-esq/