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Robert Burns was born at Alloway, Ayrshire, Scotland
on 25 January 1759 and died in Dumfries on
21 July 1796. In less than 37 years of life
he accomplished more than most people do
in a normal lifetime.
The son of a farmer, Burns was the oldest of seven
children, all of whom had to help in the
work on the farm. Although never well off,
Burns' father encouraged his sons to study.
As a result, Burns as a boy not only read
Scottish poetry but also the works of Pope,
Locke, and Shakespeare. By 1781, Burns had
tried his hand at several agricultural jobs
without success. Although he had begun writing,
and his poems were circulated widely in manuscript,
none were published until 1786. At this time
he had already begun a life of dissipation,
and he was not only discouraged but poor
and was involved simultaneously with several
women.
Burns decided to marry Mary Campbell and migrate
to Jamaica. To help finance the journey,
he published at Kilmarnock Poems (1786),
which was an immediate success. Mary Campbell
died before she and Burns could marry and
Burns changed his mind about migration. He
toured the Highlands, brought out a second
edition of his poems at Edinburgh in 1787,
and for two winters was socially prominent
in the Scottish capital city. In 1788 he
married Jean Armour, who had borne him four
children and retired to a farm at Ellisland.
By 1791 Burns had failed as a farmer and
he moved to nearby Dumfries. He died at 37
after a severe attack of rheumatic fever.
Burns's art is at its best in songs such as "Flow
Gently, Sweet Afton", "My
Heart's in the Highlands",
and "John Anderson
My Jo". Some of his work,
such as "Auld
Lang Syne" is among the
most familiar and best-loved songs and
poems in the English language. But his
talent was not confined to song; two descriptive
pieces, "Tam
o' Shanter"(reproduced in
full below)
and "The Jolly Beggars",
are among his masterpieces. Burns had a
fantastic sense of humour which was reflected
in his satirical, descriptive, and naughty
verse. His great popularity with the Scots
lies in his ability to depict with loving
accuracy the life of his fellow rural Scots,
as he did in "The Cotter's Saturday
Night".
In commemoration of Roberts Burns, Burns Suppers
are held throughout the world on, or about,
his birthday on 25th January. Burns Suppers
normally highlight a major speech and toast
to the Immortal Memory with other toasts
to The Lassies and The Guests. The haggis
is piped in by a piper and split open to
the words of the immortal poem To
a Haggis.
Copyright
Monica Loreto
Realtionated Links:
Clarinda / Burn´s
Night / Address
to a Haggis |
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