Scotland’s Bard, the poet and lyricist Robert Burns (affectionately known as ‘Rabbie’) was born in Alloway on the 25th of January 1759. Renowned not only for his poems and lyrics but also his love for women and wild living, his work in a “light Scots dialect” includes Tam O’ Shanter, Auld Lang Syne, A Red, Red Rose and Scot’s Wha Hae.
The Life and Legacy of Robert Burns
Burns came from a farming and labouring background and was raised in a life of hardship, attending school only rarely as a young boy but with some homeschooling provided by his father. However, from 1772 he was sent to Dalrymple Parish School and later lodged with tutors to finish his education in between working on the harvest. At the age of fifteen or sixteen, Burns began writing poetry for the young women he fell for. Following their father’s death in 1784, Robert and his brother, Gilbert, attempted to maintain the family farm at Lochlea, near Tarbolton but the venture ultimately failed, and the brothers moved to Mossgiel farm near Mauchline.
In Mauchline, Burns fell in love with Jean Armour, one of the ‘Belles of Mauchline.’ By spring of 1786 it was apparent that Jean was pregnant and, according to the custom of the country and the morals of the people, Burns gave her a document acknowledging her as his lawful wife. However, Jean’s father, a master mason, bristled at the idea of his daughter wed to a poor ploughman, and insisted the union be dissolved.
Jean surrendered the document, and Burns was offended. Burns contemplated emigrating to a plantation in Jamaica with another woman, Mary Campbell and it was suggested to him that, as a gifted poet, he might publish a volume of poetry to fund the venture. Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect was published on the 31st of July 1786 by John Wilson in Kilmarnock. Burns obtained £20 from the sale.
Despite having declared himself to be a “free bachelor,” Jean's father obtained a warrant against Burns which would force him to provide for Jean's child. Facing the threat of being sued or jailed by his would-be father-in-law, Burns decided to remain in Scotland when he heard that Jane Armour had given birth to twins on the 3rd of September 1786. The couple married in 1788.
Burns’s Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect was a tremendously popular work, the second edition bringing Burns £400. Robert continued to work in roles such as a position in Customs and Excise whilst writing. However, Burns worked hard and played hard. Thought to have had an underlying heart condition, his intemperance contributed to rapidly declining health, and he passed away on the 21st of July 1796, aged only 37.
The Cultural Impact of Robert Burns’ Poetry
With a literary output of only 22 years, including his teenager-hood, Robert Burns has become Scotland’s best-known and loved writer. His birthday – the 25th of January – has become a day now commemorated worldwide each year on Burns Night, whilst owning a rare first edition of the ‘Kilmarnock Burns’ is a privilege which many would like but only a very few can attain.
