Preface

Preface

RobertBurnswasbornnearAyr,Scotland,25thofJanuary,1759.HewasthesonofWilliamBurnes,orBurness,atthetimeofthepoet'sbirthanurserymanonthebanksoftheDooninAyrshire.Hisfather,thoughalwaysextremelypoor,attemptedtogivehischildrenafaireducation,andRobert,whowastheeldest,wenttoschoolforthreeyearsinaneighboringvillage,andlater,forshorterperiods,tothreeotherschoolsinthevicinity.Butitwastohisfatherandtohisownreadingthatheowedthemoreimportantpartofhiseducation;andbythetimethathehadreachedmanhoodhehadagoodknowledgeofEnglish,areadingknowledgeofFrench,andafairlywideacquaintancewiththemasterpiecesofEnglishliteraturefromthetimeofShakespearetohisownday.In1766WilliamBurnessrentedonborrowedmoneythefarmofMountOliphant,andintakinghisshareintheefforttomakethisundertakingsucceed,thefuturepoetseemstohaveseriouslyoverstrainedhisphysique.In1771thefamilymovetoLochlea,andBurnswenttotheneighboringtownofIrvinetolearnflax-dressing.Theonlyresultofthisexperiment,however,wastheformationofanacquaintancewithadissipatedsailor,whomheafterwardblamedastheprompterofhisfirstlicentiousadventures.Hisfatherdiedin1784,andwithhisbrotherGilbertthepoetrentedthefarmofMossgiel;butthisventurewasasunsuccessfulastheothers.HehadmeantimeformedanirregularintimacywithJeanArmour,forwhichhewascensuredbytheKirk-session.Asaresultofhisfarmingmisfortunes,andtheattemptsofhisfather-in-lawtooverthrowhisirregularmarriagewithJean,heresolvedtoemigrate;andinordertoraisemoneyforthepassagehepublished(Kilmarnock,1786)avolumeofthepoemswhichhehadbeencomposingfromtimetotimeforsomeyears.Thisvolumewasunexpectedlysuccessful,sothat,insteadofsailingfortheWestIndies,hewentuptoEdinburgh,andduringthatwinterhewasthechiefliterarycelebrityoftheseason.Anenlargededitionofhispoemswaspublishedtherein1787,andthemoneyderivedfromthisenabledhimtoaidhisbrotherinMossgiel,andtotakeandstockforhimselfthefarmofEllislandinDumfriesshire.HisfameaspoethadreconciledtheArmourstotheconnection,andhavingnowregularlymarriedJean,hebroughthertoEllisland,andoncemoretriedfarmingforthreeyears.Continuedill-success,however,ledhim,in1791,toabandonEllisland,andhemovedtoDumfries,wherehehadobtainedapositionintheExcise.Buthewasnowthoroughlydiscouraged;hisworkwasmeredrudgery;histendencytotakehisrelaxationindebaucheryincreasedtheweaknessofaconstitutionearlyundermined;andhediedatDumfriesinhisthirty-eighthyear.

Itisnotnecessaryheretoattempttodisentangleorexplainawaythenumerousamoursinwhichhewasengagedthroughthegreaterpartofhislife.ItisevidentthatBurnswasamanofextremelypassionatenatureandfondofconviviality;andthemisfortunesofhislotcombinedwithhisnaturaltendenciestodrivehimtofrequentexcessesofself-indulgence.Hewasoftenremorseful,andhestrovepainfully,ifintermittently,afterbetterthings.Butthestoryofhislifemustbeadmittedtobeinitsexternalsapainfulandsomewhatsordidchronicle.Thatitcontained,however,manymomentsofjoyandexaltationisprovedbythepoemshereprinted.

Burns'poetryfallsintotwomaingroups:EnglishandScottish.HisEnglishpoemsare,forthemostpart,inferiorspecimensofconventionaleighteenth-centuryverse.ButinScottishpoetryheachievedtriumphsofaquiteextraordinarykind.SincethetimeoftheReformationandtheunionofthecrownsofEnglandandScotland,theScotsdialecthadlargelyfallenintodisuseasamediumfordignifiedwriting.ShortlybeforeBurns'time,however,AllanRamsayandRobertFergussonhadbeentheleadingfiguresinarevivalofthevernacular,andBurnsreceivedfromthemanationaltraditionwhichhesucceededincarryingtoitshighestpitch,becomingthereby,toanalmostuniquedegree,thepoetofhispeople.

Hefirstshowedcompletemasteryofverseinthefieldofsatire.In“TheTwaHerds,”“HolyWillie'sPrayer,”“AddresstotheUncoGuid,”“TheHolyFair,”andothers,hemanifestedsympathywiththeprotestoftheso-called“NewLight”party,whichhadsprungupinoppositiontotheextremeCalvinismandintoleranceofthedominant“AuldLichts.”ThefactthatBurnshadpersonallysufferedfromthedisciplineoftheKirkprobablyaddedfiretohisattacks,butthesatiresshowmorethanpersonalanimus.Theforceoftheinvective,thekeennessofthewit,andthefervoroftheimaginationwhichtheydisplayed,renderedthemanimportantforceinthetheologicalliberationofScotland.

TheKilmarnockvolumecontained,besidessatire,anumberofpoemslike“TheTwaDogs”and“TheCotter'sSaturdayNight,”whicharevividlydescriptiveoftheScotspeasantlifewithwhichhewasmostfamiliar;andagrouplike“PuirMailie”and“ToaMouse,”which,inthetendernessoftheirtreatmentofanimals,revealedoneofthemostattractivesidesofBurns'personality.Manyofhispoemswereneverprintedduringhislifetime,themostremarkableofthesebeing“TheJollyBeggars,”apieceinwhich,bytheintensityofhisimaginativesympathyandthebrillianceofhistechnique,herendersapictureofthelowestdregsofsocietyinsuchawayastoraiseitintotherealmofgreatpoetry.

ButtherealnationalimportanceofBurnsisduechieflytohissongs.ThePuritanausterityofthecenturiesfollowingtheReformationhaddiscouragedsecularmusic,likeotherformsofart,inScotland;andasaresultScottishsonghadbecomehopelesslydegradedinpointbothofdecencyandliteraryquality.FromyouthBurnshadbeeninterestedincollectingthefragmentshehadheardsungorfoundprinted,andhecametoregardtherescuingofthisalmostlostnationalinheritanceinthelightofavocation.Abouthissong-making,twopointsareespeciallynoteworthy:first,thatthegreaternumberofhislyricssprangfromactualemotionalexperiences;second,thatalmostallwerecomposedtooldmelodies.WhileinEdinburghheundertooktosupplymaterialforJohnson's“MusicalMuseum,”andasfewofthetraditionalsongscouldappearinarespectablecollection,Burnsfounditnecessarytomakethemover.Sometimeshekeptastanzaortwo;sometimesonlyalineorchorus;sometimesmerelythenameoftheair;therestwashisown.Hismethod,ashehastoldushimself,wastobecomefamiliarwiththetraditionalmelody,tocatchasuggestionfromsomefragmentoftheoldsong,tofixuponanideaorsituationforthenewpoem;then,hummingorwhistlingthetuneashewentabouthiswork,hewroughtoutthenewverses,goingintothehousetowritethemdownwhentheinspirationbegantoflag.InthisprocessistobefoundtheexplanationofmuchofthepeculiarqualityofthesongsofBurns.Scarcelyanyknownauthorhassucceededsobrilliantlyincombininghisworkwithfolkmaterial,orincarryingonwithsuchcontinuityofspiritthetraditionofpopularsong.ForGeorgeThomson'scollectionofScottishairsheperformedafunctionsimilartothatwhichhehadhadinthe“Museum”;andhispoeticalactivityduringthelasteightornineyearsofhislifewaschieflydevotedtothesetwopublications.Inspiteofthefactthathewasconstantlyinseverefinancialstraits,herefusedtoacceptanyrecompenseforthiswork,preferringtoregarditasapatrioticservice.Anditwas,indeed,apatrioticserviceofnosmallmagnitude.Bybirthandtemperamenthewassingularlyfittedforthetask,andthisfitnessisprovedbytheuniqueextenttowhichhisproductionswereacceptedbyhiscountrymen,andhavepassedintothelifeandfeelingofhisrace.