Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beastie
O, what panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty
Wi' bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee
Wi' murd'ring pattle!
I'm truly sorry Man's dominion
Has broken Nature's social union
An' justifies that ill opinion
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth-born companion
An' fellow-mortal!
I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve;
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
A daimen-icker in a thrave
‘S a sma' request
I'll get a blessin wi' the lave
An' never miss't!
Thy wee-bit housie, too, in ruin!
It's silly wa's the win's are strewin!
An' naething, now, to big a new ane
Rough English Translation: 
 I doubt not, sometimes, but you may steal; What then? Poor little beast, you must live! An odd ear in twenty-four sheaves Is a small request; I will get a blessing with what is left, And never miss it. 
 Although the mouse doubtless has stolen from him before, Burns forgives the little beast; it’s only taking what it needs to survive. After all, he grows much more than he needs only to sell the excess. He won’t truly miss the little bit that gets stolen to feed the mouse and its family. 
 In these lines Robert Burns displays a principal effort of the Romantic writers. Nature, being a common theme in Romantic writing, falls secondary to Burn’s focus on man finding his position within nature. Such a position would exist in harmony with the natural state. In this poem, Burns ascribes human qualities to the mouse on a level that exceeds standard personification —  anthropomorphism  is a more accurate description. The concept of “thieving” and “making a request” are actions distinct to humans because they involve direct interaction between two people. Burns has not only equated the mouse with himself in recognizing the mouse’s request, but also acknowledges the disruptive position within the natural state man currently occupies i.e. the Industrial Revolution.
To a Mouse