Robert Burns: What You Didn’t Know About Scotland’s National Bard.
You may or may not know that today (25th January) is Robert Burns night. Although a holiday originating in Scotland, Burns Night is celebrated around the world, with many countries paying homage to the Scottish poet.
Most people can probably tell you that Robert Burns was that famous Scottish poet and lyricist behind the famous song Auld Lang Syne, most prominently played at midnight on New Years (or Hogmanay to Scots) while drunkenly linking arms with every friend or stranger around you.
But I feel it’s the case that many people don’t know much about Burns, his poetic work, his literary influence, or who he was as a person passed that.
Well, this article will hopefully fill you in on some interesting Burns trivia!
Robert “Rabbie” Burns (1759 – 1796) was a Scottish poet and lyricist, who earned himself much fame and the (unofficial) title of Scotland’s national bard. Over his short lifetime Burns wrote over 700 poems and songs, most of which were written in Scots dialect.
Scots dialect was the language predominantly adopted by the lowlands of Scotland, as opposed to Gaelic in the Highlands and Islands (both Scots and Gaelic are still spoken today, though not as common). By the time Burns was writing in the late 18th century, Scots dialect was starting to diminish in Scotland – aided by The Union of Crowns (1603) and the Acts of Union (1707) – with English becoming more prominent in formal speech and writing.
Despite this, Robert Burns wrote in his Scots dialect with no hesitance nor regret. In fact, in a letter to his friend George Thomson, Burns wrote:
“If you are for English verses, there is, on my part an end of the matter… I have not that command of the language that I have of my native tongue. In fact, I think my ideas are more barren in English than in Scottish.”
His choice to write in Scots however, is arguably the least controversial or unorthodox feature of the poet, who was a man ahead of his time in many ways.
Burns is heralded as a pioneer of the Pre-Romantic Movement, owing to his romantic and sentimental depictions of nature, love, sexuality, and Scottish cultural identity.
“But to see her was to love her, Love but her, and love forever. Had we never lov’d sae kindly, Had we never lov’d sae blindly, Never met – or never parted – We had ne’er been broken hearted” – (Robert Burns ‘Ae Fond Kiss’).
Romanticism dominated literary content in the 19th century, with an emphasis on “the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the visionary, and the transcendental.” The poetic ease and simplicity in which Burns’ writing captured the beauty of things arguably made him a major influence for romantic poets to follow such as William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Romance was not the only thing on the Scottish poet’s mind however, critics of his work also claim his writing had not-so-subtle messages of Socialism.
The other themes that lie in the lines of Burns’ poems are that of class division and inequality, religion, radicalism, and gender roles. The Jolly Beggars (1785) highlights particular views Burns had on class inequality, and certain political and religious institutions and morals:
“A fig for those by law protected! Liberty’s a glorious feast! Courts for cowards were erected, Churches built to please the priest. What is title, what is treasure, What is reputation’s care? If we lead a life of pleasure, ‘Tis no matter how or where.” – (Robert Burns ‘The Jolly Beggars or ‘Love and Liberty – A Cantata).
And yes, there’s more…
In 1792 Burns wrote a poem for touring actress at the time, Louisa Fontenelle, who recited the poem on her benefit night. The poem titled The Rights of Woman, brings to attention the controversial topic of the role of women in society, and the rights in which they are owed: Protection, Decorum, and Admiration to the female sex.
“While Europe’s eye is fix’d on mighty things, The fate of Empires and the fall of Kings; While quacks of State must each produce his plan, And even children lisp the Rights of Man; Amid this mighty fuss just let me mention, The Rights of Woman merit some attention.” – (Robert Burns ‘The Rights of Woman’)
By no means a feminist of today’s standards (quite fair given that theories of feminism didn’t even exist in the 18th century), Burns nonetheless spoke openly for the appreciation of women; and despite his reputation for ‘womanising,’ Pauline Gray, a University of Glasgow researcher who looked for Burns’ views on women and sexuality, came to the conclusion that he “celebrated, rather than objectified women.”
Now, if none of that history has impressed you, and you’re more intrigued as to how an 18th-century Scottish bard is relevant to modern times…
Then I have two words (well names really) for you, Bob Dylan.
Yes that’s right, folk-rock singer-songwriter legend Bob Dylan, was influenced by Robert Burns! In a 2008 ‘My Inspiration’ advertising campaign, Dylan was asked what lyric or verse had had the greatest impact and influence on him, and he stated A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns (1794). Dylan’s fondness for Scotland and for Robert Burns is showcased indisputably in the lyrics of his 1997 song Highlands. When juxtaposed to Burns’ My Heart’s in the Highlands (1789), it’s clear to see that the American music legend was a fan of the Scottish literary legend.
“My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here, My heart’s in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer; Chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe, My heart’s in the Highlands, wherever I go.” (Robert Burns – ‘My Heart’s in the Highlands’ 1794).
“Well my heart’s in the Highlands wherever I roam, That’s where I’ll be when I get called home, The wind, it whispers to the buck-eyed trees in rhyme, Well my heart’s in the Highlands, I can only get there one step at a time” (Bob Dylan – ‘Highlands’ 1997).
If this article has still left you unimpressed or dissatisfied by Robert Burns, his views, work, and legacy; then I urge you to read some of his poems. You may not be a lover of poetry, a literary-appreciator, or a Scottish history geek; but you may still find that you enjoy even just one of his poems, and appreciate the beauty in his words.
Finally, happy Burns Night!
