George Burns
Biography
“A Scottish Bard, proud of the name, and whose highest ambition is to sing in his country’s service, where shall he so properly look for patronage as to the illustrious names of his native land: those who bear the honours and inherit the virtues of their ancestors? The poetic genius of my country found me, as the prophetic bard Elijah did Elisha—at the plough, and threw her inspiring mantle over me. She bade me sing the loves, the joys, the rural scenes and rural pleasures of my native soil, in my native tongue; I tuned my wild, artless notes as she inspired.” --ROBERT BURNS, Edinburgh, April 4, 1787.
Poet and songwriter, Burns wrote hundreds of enduring homages to Scottish life and beyond in song and poetry including “Address to a Haggis” (1786), “The Highland Lassie” (1786), “Auld Lang Syne” (1788), “Flow Gently, Sweet Afton” (1789), “My Luve is Like a Red, Red Rose” (1794), and “Tam o’Shanter” (1790);
Burns wrote of his own rural experience as well as dealing with themes of patriotism, republicanism, class structure, and sexuality, with wit, humor and sometimes bawdy but always accessible verse. He devoted much of his life and writing to honoring Scottish heritage and culture; its people, literature, folklore, ballads, and music.
He was also at times deeply troubled by the societal values that led to conflicts and wars and he was considered radical for his political views. He alienated himself from many friends when he expressed support of the American War of Independence and the French Revolution. While not forgetting his humble roots he went on to be one of the most celebrated poets during his lifetime and up to the present, almost two hundred and fifty years later. His life and works have inspired many other writers including Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Hugh MacDairmid, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and William Wordsworth.
Reader of many classic literary works
Burns became a voracious reader of many classic Greek, English and Scottish literary works including William Shakespeare’s, Allen Ramsay’s, and Robert Fergusson’s. He also studied the Bible, French, Latin, arithmetic, geography, and history, and his childhood nurse Betty Davidson is said to have introduced him to the world of Scottish folklore and witchcraft as in “Tam o’Shanter”. The family moved to the farm Mount Oliphant in 1766, then a year later to Lochlea farm. Burns was a handsome, dark-haired young lad; a hard worker at the plow, and he worked as a flax dresser for a time.
He also started on his life-long habit of spending nights out drinking Scotch whiskey and flirting with the ladies. Burns became a Freemason in 1781 and after the death of his father in 1784, he and Gilbert rented Mossgiel farm, near Mauchline, but it proved an unsuccessful business venture.Around the age of twenty-five Burns fell in love with Jean Armour, to whom “Bonie Jean” (1793) is addressed, and with whom he had twins. He wanted to marry her but her father and the Kirk opposed it. Frustrated with this turn of events, he decided to emigrate and seek his fortunes in the West Indies. In order to fund his passage he had his first collection of Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (Kilmarnock edition) published in 1786.
“The Ploughman’s Poet”
However, his plans soon changed when the joy of fatherhood set in and Poems immediately received high acclaim. Burns “the Ploughman’s Poet” became popular among Edinburgh society; he was guest of the Duke and Duchess of Atholl, his principal patron the Earl of Glencairn fêted him, and William Creech published Edinburgh editions of his works. Though he was not aware of his contemporary William Blake, a fifteen year old Sir Walter Scott met him. With Armour’s father seeing a more respectable man who could provide for his daughter, he encouraged their marriage and in 1788 Robert and Jean finally married and settled down on the farm Ellisland in Dumfriesshire.
The Ellisland farm proved yet another failure and Burns with his wife and children moved to Dumfries near the Solway Firth where he obtained a position as Excise man in 1789. He worked in the Port collecting taxes on cargo and seizing smuggling ships, though he did not entirely enjoy it or take it too seriously, as his poem “The Deil's Awa wi' th' Exciseman” (1792-The Devil has Taken the Exciseman), poking fun at the position, suggests;
The annual pay of £50 finally provided Burns with a regular and comfortable income with which he could support his family, though he received little recompense for his literary efforts. In 1787 he also enjoyed travels throughout the country. Due to his love of music, he and James Johnson set to the task of collecting together all the traditional Scottish songs, music and lyrics, published as The Scots Musical Museum (1787) which grew to six volumes. A Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs (1793) was also partly produced by Burns, with George Thomson. Burns joined the democratic militia group Royal Dumfries Volunteers in 1795. The same year his beloved three year old daughter Elizabeth died.
Contract rheumatic fever
Years of working in the fields and a penchant for debauchery and drink no doubt contributed to Burns’ ill-health, but there is much speculation as to what caused his death. He did contract rheumatic fever as stated in a letter to his friend Mrs. Dunlop of Dumfries on 31 July, 1796. Under the care of Doctor Maxwell, he knew his prognosis was grim. With four surviving children and his wife due to have her ninth at any moment, Burns wrote her father to send assistance for her confinement.
Robert Burns died on 21 July, 1796, aged thirty-seven, at his home in Mill Vennel, now called Burns House. His son Maxwell, named after his doctor, was born three days later. Burns' remains now rest in the Mausoleum in St Michael's Kirkyard. Jean Armour died in 1834 and now rests beside him.Robert Burns is now considered a pioneer in the Romantic, socialist, and liberalism movements. While he often wrote with light-hearted humour, some of his works with their universal humanistic appeal contributed to his becoming a Scottish cultural icon.
Burns' “Scots Wha Hae” (1793) served as an unofficial national anthem for many years. Inspired by his admiration of 13th century patriot William Wallace and his demise by the English, he penned it after the charge of sedition and trial of Thomas Muir. It is written in the form of a speech given by Robert the Bruce before the battle of Bannockburn, during which Scotland regained its independence from England;
“Robbie Burns Night”
Robert Burns' birthday is now celebrated the world over as “Robbie Burns Night” with special suppers of cock-a-leekie soup, haggis, and typsy laird for dessert. Guests Address the Haggis, Toast the Lasses with Whiskey, and recite his poems and sing his songs. Burns’ “Auld Lang Syne” is still sung to celebrate the New Year and Scottish Hogmany (last day of the year). Many of his songs and poems on this site have notes by Burns himself, and Allan Cunningham, who edited The Complete Works of Robert Burns in 1855. In some cases there is more than one version of the same poem or song. Some of them are revisions by Burns of older works.