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Preface（第1页）

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“PoemsandSongsofRobertBurns（.shg.tw）”

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Preface

RobertBurnswasbornnearAyr，Scotland，25thofJanuary，1759.HewasthesonofWilliamBurnes，orBurness，atthetimeofthepoetsbirthanurserymanonthebanksoftheDooninAyrshire.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）avolumeofthepoemswhichhehadbeenposingfromtimetotimeforsomeyears.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;andthemisfortunesofhislotbinedwithhisnaturaltendenciestodrivehimtofrequentexcessesofself-indulgence.Hewasoftenremorseful，andhestrovepainfully，ifintermittently，afterbetterthings.Butthestoryofhislifemustbeadmittedtobeinitsexternalsapainfulandsomewhatsordidchronicle.Thatitcontained，however，manymomentsofjoyandexaltationisprovedbythepoemshereprinted.

Burnspoetryfallsintotwomaingroups:EnglishandScottish.HisEnglishpoemsare，forthemostpart，inferiorspecimensofconventionaleighteenth-centuryverse.ButinScottishpoetryheachievedtriumphsofaquiteextraordinarykind.SincethetimeoftheReformationandtheunionofthecrownsofEnglandandScotland，theScotsdialecthadlargelyfallenintodisuseasamediumfordignifiedwriting.ShortlybeforeBurnstime，however，AllanRamsayandRobertFergussonhadbeentheleadingfiguresinarevivalofthevernacular，andBurnsreceivedfromthemanationaltraditionwhichhesucceededincarryingtoitshighestpitch，beingthereby，toanalmostuniquedegree，thepoetofhispeople.

Hefirstshowedpletemasteryofverseinthefieldofsatire.In“TheTwaHerds，”

“HolyWilliesPrayer，”

“AddresstotheUncoGuid，”

“TheHolyFair，”

andothers，hemanifestedsympathywiththeprotestoftheso-called“NewLight”

party，whichhadsprungupinoppositiontotheextremeCalvinismandintoleranceofthedominant“AuldLichts.”

ThefactthatBurnshadpersonallysufferedfromthedisciplineoftheKirkprobablyaddedfiretohisattacks，butthesatiresshowmorethanpersonalanimus.Theforceoftheinvective，thekeennessofthewit，andthefervoroftheimaginationwhichtheydisplayed，renderedthemanimportantforceinthetheologicalliberationofScotland.

TheKilmarnockvolumecontained，besidessatire，anumberofpoemslike“TheTwaDogs”

and“TheCottersSaturdayNight，”

whicharevividlydescriptiveoftheScotspeasantlifewithwhichhewasmostfamiliar;andagrouplike“PuirMailie”

and“ToaMouse，”

which，inthetendernessoftheirtreatmentofanimals，revealedoneofthemostattractivesidesofBurnspersonality.Manyofhispoemswereneverprintedduringhislifetime，themostremarkableofthesebeing“TheJollyBeggars，”

apieceinwhich，bytheintensityofhisimaginativesympathyandthebrillianceofhistechnique，herendersapictureofthelowestdregsofsocietyinsuchawayastoraiseitintotherealmofgreatpoetry.

ButtherealnationalimportanceofBurnsisduechieflytohissongs.ThePuritanausterityofthecenturiesfollowingtheReformationhaddiscouragedsecularmusic，likeotherformsofart，inScotland;andasaresultScottishsonghadbeehopelesslydegradedinpointbothofdecencyandliteraryquality.FromyouthBurnshadbeeninterestedincollectingthefragmentshehadheardsungorfoundprinted，andhecametoregardtherescuingofthisalmostlostnationalinheritanceinthelightofavocation.Abouthissong-making，twopointsareespeciallynoteworthy:first，thatthegreaternumberofhislyricssprangfromactualemotionalexperiences;second，thatalmostallwereposedtooldmelodies.WhileinEdinburghheundertooktosupplymaterialforJohnsons“MusicalMuseum，”

andasfewofthetraditionalsongscouldappearinarespectablecollection，Burnsfounditnecessarytomakethemover.Sometimeshekeptastanzaortwo;sometimesonlyalineorchorus;sometimesmerelythenameoftheair;therestwashisown.Hismethod，ashehastoldushimself，wastobeefamiliarwiththetraditionalmelody，tocatchasuggestionfromsomefragmentoftheoldsong，tofixuponanideaorsituationforthenewpoem;then，hummingorwhistlingthetuneashewentabouthiswork，hewroughtoutthenewverses，goingintothehousetowritethemdownwhentheinspirationbegantoflag.InthisprocessistobefoundtheexplanationofmuchofthepeculiarqualityofthesongsofBurns.Scarcelyanyknownauthorhassucceededsobrilliantlyinbininghisworkwithfolkmaterial，orincarryingonwithsuchcontinuityofspiritthetraditionofpopularsong.ForGeorgeThomsonscollectionofScottishairsheperformedafunctionsimilartothatwhichhehadhadinthe“Museum”

;andhispoeticalactivityduringthelasteightornineyearsofhislifewaschieflydevotedtothesetwopublications.Inspiteofthefactthathewasconstantlyinseverefinancialstraits，herefusedtoacceptanyrepenseforthiswork，preferringtoregarditasapatrioticservice.Anditwas，indeed，apatrioticserviceofnosmallmagnitude.Bybirthandtemperamenthewassingularlyfittedforthetask，andthisfitnessisprovedbytheuniqueextenttowhichhisproductionswereacceptedbyhiscountrymen，andhavepassedintothelifeandfeelingofhisrace.