The Enlightenment. The 17th – 18th century literature Plan

7. Robert Burns (1759 -1796)
Whenever we speak about Scotland the name of Scotland's Bard Robert Burns is always there, as the ever-living never-dying symbol of that country.
All of Robert Burns’ poetry shows him to be one of the greatest masters of lyrical verse, a warm patriot of his native country. His poetry is deeply democratic & full of criticism directed against the landlords, the priests & the government officials. His sympathy lay with the poor, he hoped for a better future for the people, for the equality & justice of all.
Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet, was born on January 25, 1759 in a small cottage in a Scottish village. His father, William Burns was a hard-working small farmer with high ideals about human worth & conduct. He knew the value of a good education & he was determined to give his children the best schooling possible.
There were 7 children in the family & Robert was the eldest. When he was six, his father sent him to school, but Robert's regular schooling was rather short. As a matter of fact, the poet's father taught his children himself. Reading & writing, arithmetic, English grammar, history, literature & a slight acquaintance of Latin & French - that was Robert Burns’ education.
The songs & ballads of Scotland which Burns knew so well were sung to him in his childhood by his mother who lived long & enjoyed the growing fame of her poet son.
Robert Burns became a farmer, too. At 13 he was out in the fields all day helping his father, at 15 he did most of the work on the farm.
He studied nature closely & following the plough, he whistled & sang. In his songs he spoke of what he saw of the woods & the fields, & the valleys, of the deer, of the hare & the skylark, & the small field mouse, of the farmer's poor cottage home & the farmer lad's love for his lass.
Robert Burns first began to write poetry at the age of 16. Life was hard for the family. Robert's father died in 1784 burdened with debts. The poet needed some money to publish some of his poems. 600 copies of "Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect" were printed in July 1786. Their success was complete, their edition was quickly sold out & Robert Burns became well-known & popular.
He went to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. At first Robert Burns was warmly welcomed but soon the society of England grew tired of him & forgot all about the poet. The popular character of Burns’ poetry was foreign to their taste.
The story of Robert Burns' short life is full of sadness. He worked much on his farm, but could not make it pay. In 1789 his friends got him a position as a tax collector. This work was not an easy one, but it gave him much time to think out his poems & at this period of his life Robert Burns wrote much. He had five children. By 1796 Robert Burns' health had greatly deteriorated & in 1796 at the age of 37, the great poet of Scotland breathed his last breath.
The most popular poems by Robert Burns are "John Barleycorn", "The Tree of Liberty", "Jolly Beggars", "My heart's in the Highland" & others.