I’m truly sorry Man’s dominion/Has broken Nature’s social union
Here, as he regretfully watches the mouse flee from him, the farmer notes that the dominance and control humans can exert over nature actually has drawbacks for both humans and the animals they threaten. By upsetting harmonies and power structures in the natural world, humans have increased their own abilities to survive while making themselves solitary. The farmer, realizing that his powers give the mouse reasons to avoid him, is struck and saddened by the gulf between himself and other living things. He appreciates the security and wealth that he gains from that power, but wonders whether the trade-off is worth it.
Thou saw the fields laid bare an’ waste,/An’ weary Winter comin fast,/An’ cozie here, beneath the blast,/Thou thought to dwell
As he dwells on his own experience with the mouse, the farmer takes a subtle but radical turn, here imagining the mouse's feelings and motivations even prior to their encounter. This act of imagination suggests that he is engaging deeply with the mouse, not as a mere inhabitant of his land, but as a conscious being with distinct desires and needs. At the same time, even while considering the distinct aspects of the mouse's situation, the farmer is aware that the two have certain shared circumstances; they live in the same place, suffer from the same harsh winters, and have the same need for safety and shelter. Through trying to imagine the mental state of a creature so different from himself, the farmer simultaneously expands his sense of what life can look and feel like, and concludes that he and the mouse have a surprising amount in common.
The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men/Gang aft agley,/An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,/For promis’d joy!
The speaker of "To a Mouse" jumps back and forth between a distinctly Scottish dialect and a more standardized form of English. Here, while explaining what may be the crux of the poem—the idea that every living thing deals with unpredictability and pain—he is especially dynamic in his code-switching. This use of two diverse forms of speech, crammed together into a few short lines, echoes the sentiment being expressed. His language, like life itself, is both thrilling and confusing for its range, leaping from one state to another and yet forming a harmonious whole in which meter, rhyme, and thematic focus are preserved.
