What fire does, according to the poet (5)
I believe the answer is:
burns
'the poet' is the definition.
(Rabbie Burns 1759-1796 the Scottish poet)
I can't explain the remainder of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for burns that I've seen before include "Is on fire" , "Rabbie - - (poet)" , "What Tyger does for Blake" , "Cremates -- Scottish poet, d.1796" , "Scots poet" .)