Sunday, 26 January 2014

Robert Burns - celebrating the Scots language






Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist, one of very few to write poetry in the Scots dialect and therefore his work is incredibly important for linguists. He was born on the 25th of January 1759, so yesterday was the anniversary of his birth. This week there have been many events across the United Kingdom to commemorate him and his work. I spent Burns night at work (at a care home) we held a Scottish activity day in his memory.  Some of the staff wore kilts and the residents sang Scottish traditional songs, had a Scottish quiz and ate Haggis. 




His life



Robert Burns was born in Alloway, Scotland to Willian Burne and Agnes Broun, who worked in the farming industry. Although Burns helped in the farm, his passion for reading and poetry was made very clear. He had a good education and began writing poetry very early – in fact he became famous when only 27 years old after writing ‘to a louse’ and other works. Burns then moved to Edinburgh where he was received by many high class people. He continued to write and as he gained popularity he earned a lot of money, which he unfortunately wasted on alcohol and women. Burns passed away in 1796 and was buried shortly after, with civil and military honours. 




His works



Burns wrote an enormous amount of poetry throughout his life, mainly based on nature and his experiences. He has a distinct style, which is spontaneous, direct and sincere. He also well known for using his knowledge of historical literature and mixtures of the Scots language and the Scottish dialect for effect. 




Here is the beginning of his early poem, to a louse:



Ha! whaur ye gaun, ye crowlin ferlie?



Your impudence protects you sairly;



I canna say but ye strunt rarely,



Owre gauze and lace;



Tho', faith! I fear ye dine but sparely



On sic a place.







Ye ugly, creepin, blastit wonner,



Detested, shunn'd by saunt an' sinner,



How daur ye set your fit upon her-



Sae fine a lady?



Gae somewhere else and seek your dinner



On some poor body.







Burns was also a lyricist, famous for writing ‘Old Lang Syne’ which is sung on New Year’s even today. 




Here is the chorus of Old Lang Syne in his original writing and an English translation (sourced fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auld_Lang_Syne) :



For auld lang syne, my jo,



for auld lang syne,



we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,



for auld lang syne.







For auld lang syne, my dear,



for auld lang syne,



we'll take a cup of kindness yet,



for auld lang syne.







His influences






Burns’ work was so famous that it has had huge influences all over the world.  He influenced many poets, including Wordsworth but was also a symbol of Scotland itself. There are statues and memorials of him across the globe, spreading awareness of Scotland and the Scottish language.







Political impact




His poems were translated into many different languages but his work had a particular impact in Russia. Since he was from the lower class, many Russians saw him as ‘inspiration for the ordinary’ and he became a symbol of egalitarianism.







More recently, Liz Lochhead said that “of course Robert Burns would vote for Scottish independence” because of his strong political views and his passion for Scotland. This shows that even now, with the Scottish referendum looming, Burns is still relevant (see my blog post on 2nd of December for more information). In 2009, he was voted the ‘Greatest ever Scot’ by television viewers in Scotland, showing that even today, the Scots admire him and see him as the most influential Scottish figure.

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