History Creator / RobertBurns

Robert Burns (25 January 1759 — 21 July 1796) was a Scottish poet and lyricist, known for writing in the Scots dialect, with topics raging from Highland life to farming, drinking, and the state of his wife's pubic hair. He is widely considered the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. Some of his best-known works include ''To a Louse'', ''Tam o' Shanter'', ''To a Mouse'', and ''Scots Wha Hae'', the last of which served for a long time as the unofficial national anthem of Scotland. Most notably, he wrote ''Auld Lang Syne'', often sung at New Year's Eve (though Burns based it on an older folk song that was never written until he wrote it down while listening to an old man).

Burns was born in Alloway, Ayrshire, the eldest of seven children to William Burness, a tenant farmer, and Agnes Broun, the daughter of a tenant farmer. He was given irregular schooling until 1765, when Burness employed John Murdoch, a young teacher who opened up an "adventure school" in Alloway in 1763. Murdoch tutored Robert and his brother Gilbert until 1768, when he left for a better post. With that, Burness took education into his own hands, teaching his children reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, history, and catechesis. After a few years of home education, Robert and Gilbert went to Dalrymple school in the summer months of 1772 before returning at harvest time to full-time farm labour. In 1773, Robert went to Ayr, where he studied grammar, French, and Latin, once again under Murdoch.

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Even if you haven't heard of him, you've heard some of his stuff; he's one of those guys whose works have dissolved into collective memory. Unofficial New Year's Eve song "Auld Lang Syne" is his[[note]]well, sort of -- he claimed it was a pre-existing folk song that he just wrote down and tidied up[[/note]]. He also wrote "To A Mouse", a line of which was pressed into service for Creator/JohnSteinbeck's novel ''Literature/OfMiceAndMen''. Another of his poems, "To A Louse", gave us the proverb
->''O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us\\
To see ourselves as others see us!''
Also, he wrote ''Comin' Thro the Rye'', or at least one version thereof, which was mentioned in ''Literature/TheCatcherInTheRye'' and provided its title... in a way.

Burns was a member of the Romantics, and was specifically a Romantic nationalist, who helped craft the global view of Scotland. In addition to these grand tragic poems of Highland life, he also wrote on things that mattered to him personally. Such as farming, drinking, and the state of his wife's pubic hair.

Burns was a member of the Romantics, and was specifically a Romantic nationalist, who helped craft the global view of Scotland. In addition to these grand tragic poems of Highland life, he also wrote on things that mattered to him personally. Such as farming, and the state of his wife's pubic hair.

Even if you haven't heard of him, you've heard some of his stuff; he's one of those guys whose works have dissolved into collective memory. Unofficial New Year's Eve song "Auld Lang Syne" is his[[note]]well, sort of - he claimed it was a pre-existing folk song that he just wrote down and tidied up[[/note]]. He also wrote "To A Mouse", a line of which was pressed into service for Creator/JohnSteinbeck's novel ''Literature/OfMiceAndMen''. Another of his poems, "To A Louse", gave us the proverb

Also, he wrote ''Comin’ Thro the Rye'', or at least one version thereof, which was mentioned in ''Literature/TheCatcherInTheRye'' and provided its title... in a way.

Burns was a member of the Romantics, and was specifically a Romantic nationalist, who helped craft the global view of Scotland. in addition to these grand tragic poems of Highland life, he also wrote on things that mattered to him personally. Such as farming, and the state of his wife's pubic hair.

* CountryMatters: Almost entirely used in the anatomical sense. By most accounts, Burns was rather a expert on them.

* HotWitch: Nannie from ''Tam o' Shanter''.
* IDontWantToRuinOurFriendship: ''Love in the Guise of Friendship''
* MassivelyNumberedSiblings: The oldest of seven children, who had twelve children, the youngest born the day of Burns’ funeral. Even though only 5 lived to adulthood, some 200 years after his death, Burns has at least '''900''' direct descendants [[https://www.burness.ca/ld2.htm living today]].

* [[DeadArtistsAreBetter Dead Poets Are Better]]: Popular in Scotland in his own lifetime, his death led to a massive reappraisal of his work further afield. Within a decade, there was a massive tourist industry devoted to the Burns legacy, and it hasn't let up since.

* MassivelyNumberedSiblings: The oldest of seven children, who had twelve children, the youngest [[SomeoneToRememberHimBy born the day of Burns’ funeral]]. Even though only 5 lived to adulthood, some 200 years after his death, Burns has at least '''900''' direct descendants [[https://www.burness.ca/ld2.htm living today]].

* [[DeadArtistsAreBetter Dead Poets Are Better]]: popular in Scotland in his own lifetime, his death led to a massive reappraisal of his work further afield. Within a decade, there was a massive tourist industry devoted to the Burns legacy, and it hasn't let up since.

* CountryMatters: almost entirely used in the anatomical sense. By most accounts, Burns was rather a expert on them.

Rabbie Burns! Bonnie UsefulNotes/{{Scotland}}'s favourite poet; TheBard of Ayrshire; author of a poem called "Address To A Haggis". Yes, really.

Even Scots who ''don't'' need an excuse to get pissed celebrate Burns Night on his birthday, 25 January. The celebrations involve bringing the haggis in and reciting a few stanzas of its poem (it's a really long poem) before cutting it open.