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.
