Robert Burns

Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet, was born on January 25, 1759 in Scotland. His father, William Burns, was a poor farmer. There were seven children in the family, and Robert was the eldest. His father knew the value of a good education, and he tried to give his children the best education he could afford Robert was sent to school at the age of six, but as his father could not pay for the two sons, Robert and his brother Gilbert attended school in turn.

Robert's mother knew many Scottish songs and ballads and often sang them to her son in his childhood. His mother's friend Betty told Robert many fantastic tales about devils, fairies and witches. Bums's mother died in 1820. She lived long and enjoyed the fame of her poet son.

Robert Bums became fond of reading. He read whatever he could lay his hands on. His favourite writers were Shakespeare, Smolett, Robert Fergusson, a talented Scottish poet (1750 - 1774). Fergusson's tragic fate deeply touched Bums. Bums devoted many verses to Fergusson.

Robert Bums began to write poetry when he was fifteen. He composed verses to the melodies of old folk-songs, which he had admired from his early childhood. He sang of the woods, fields and wonderful valleys of his native land. Bums published some of his poems in 1786. Their success was complete. And Robert Burns became well known and popular.

When Burns came to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, a new and enlarged edition of his poems was published. But soon Edinburgh society grew tired of him and forgot about the poet.

Robert Bums left Edinburgh and returned to his native village with money enough to buy a farm and marry Jean Armour. Burns devoted to Jean many beautiful poems, such as I love my Jean, Bonnie Jean and many others.

Robert Bums's poems were very popular, he always remained poor. He worked hard and destroyed his hearth. He died in poverty at the age of thirty - seven in 1796.

The poetry and songs of Robert Burns are famous all over the world.

Robert Bums's poems and verses inspired Beethoven, Schumann, Mendelssohn and other composers who wrote music to them.

The most popular poems of Robert Burns are The Tree of Liberty, My Heart's in the Highlands, A Red, Red Rose and many others.