"To A Louse, On Seeing One on a Lady's Bonnet at Church" is a 1786 Scots language poem by Robert Burns in his favourite meter, standard Habbie.
It wad frae mony a blunder free us, An' foolish notion: What airs in dress an' gait wad lea'e us, An' ev'n devotion!
It would from many a blunder free us, And foolish notion: What airs in dress and gait would leave us, And even devotion!
In the eight-stanza satirical poem, the speaker draws the reader's attention to a lady in church with a louse that is roving, unnoticed by her, around in her bonnet.
[2] In the course of the poem, the speaker addresses the louse as it scurries about on "Jenny" who cluelessly tosses her hair and preens, not knowing the person seeing her sees a louse on her.