Burns's autobiographical letter to John Moore written at Mauchline on 2 August 1787 gives us some insight into the origin of the poem:
"I now began to be known in the neighborhood as a maker of rhymes.
The first of my poetic offspring that saw the light was a burlesque lamentation on a quarrel between two reverend Calvinists, both of them dramatis personae in my Holy Fair.
I had an idea myself that the piece had some merit; but to prevent the worst, I gave a copy of it to a friend who was very fond of these things, and told him I could not guess who was the Author of it, but that I thought it pretty clever.
With a certain side of both clergy and laity it met with a roar of applause.
Holy Willie's Prayer next made its appearance, and alarmed the kirk-Session so much that they held three several meetings to look over their holy artillery, if any of it was pointed against profane Rhymers".

Burns's comment "The first of my poetic offspring that saw the light" has often been misunderstood as meaning that this 1784 poem was his first poetic work, but it is only a reference, with a pun on the word light as in Auld licht, meaning that this was the first of his unprinted, but widely copied and circulated poems to catch the awareness of the general public, so that he was recognised as a poet for the first time.
As stated, it was first printed in 1796 after his death under the title "An Unco Mournfu' Tale".
Burns's autobiographical letter to John Moore written at Mauchline on 2 August 1787 gives us some insight into the origin of the poem:
"I now began to be known in the neighborhood as a maker of rhymes. The first of my poetic offspring that saw the light was a burlesque lamentation on a quarrel between two reverend Calvinists, both of them dramatis personae in my Holy Fair. I had an idea myself that the piece had some merit; but to prevent the worst, I gave a copy of it to a friend who was very fond of these things, and told him I could not guess who was the Author of it, but that I thought it pretty clever. With a certain side of both clergy and laity it met with a roar of applause. Holy Willie's Prayer next made its appearance, and alarmed the kirk-Session so much that they held three several meetings to look over their holy artillery, if any of it was pointed against profane Rhymers".
Burns's comment "The first of my poetic offspring that saw the light" has often been misunderstood as meaning that this 1784 poem was his first poetic work, but it is only a reference, with a pun on the word light as in Auld licht, meaning that this was the first of his unprinted, but widely copied and circulated poems to catch the awareness of the general public, so that he was recognised as a poet for the first time. As stated, it was first printed in 1796 after his death under the title "An Unco Mournfu' Tale".
The Holy Tulzie