The Classic Poems

by Robert Burns

Robert Burns is one of the world’s greatest poets. Known as “The Ploughman Poet” or simply “The Bard” in his native Scotland, Burns translated a life of poverty and hardship into lines of verse which still touch everybody who reads them. The work of Robert Burns has a uniquely wide appeal. Abraham Lincoln knew many of his verses, and Bob Dylan recently admitted that it was “A Red Rose” that first inspired him to write.

The classic poems included in this collection show every facet of “Scotland’s best-loved son,” revealing not only Burns’s optimistic, will-o-the-wisp character, but also the passion for truth and justice which drove him to pick up his pen. Each poem in this collection comes with its own glossary of terms and there is an introduction to help familiarize readers with Burns’s style and vocabulary. This beautifully decorative hardcover collector’s edition is a necessary addition to any poetry lovers’ library.

Genres: Poetry

128 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2010

About the author

Robert Burns (also known as Robin) was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language. He also wrote in English and a "light" Scots, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland.

He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement and after his death became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism. A cultural icon in Scotland and among the Scottish Diaspora around the world, celebration of his life and work became almost a national charismatic cult during the 19th and 20th centuries, and his influence has long been strong on Scottish literature.

As well as making original compositions, Burns collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them. His Auld Lang Syne is often sung at Hogmanay (the last day of the year), and Scots Wha Hae has served as an unofficial national anthem. Other poems and songs of Burns that remain well-known across the world today, include A Red, Red Rose, A Man's A Man for A' That, To a Louse, To a Mouse, The Battle of Sherramuir, Tam o' Shanter and Ae Fond Kiss.

Reviews

[E. G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Introduction, by George Davidson

Poems

--To a Mountain Daisy
--To a Mouse
--The Cotter's Saturday Night
--Address to a Haggis
--To a Louse
--On Seeing a Wounded Hare Limp by Me
--Address to the Tooth-ache
--Address to the Deil
--Tam o' Shanter
--Address to the Unco Guid
--Holy Willie's Prayer
--Epitaph on Holy Willie
--Address to Edinburgh

Songs

--Mary Morison
--Ae Fond Kiss
--My Luve is like a Red, Red Rose
--Sweet Afton
--John Anderson My Jo
--Highland Mary
--The Banks o' Doon
--A Rosebud by My Early Walk
--The Birks of Aberfeldey
--O Wert Thou in the Cauld Blast
--O Whistle an' I'll Come to Ye, My Lad
--Of a' the Airts
--Tam Glen
--My Bonie Mary
--The Country Lassie
--The Bonie Lass o' Ballochmyle
--I'm O'er Young to Marry Yet
--Duncan Gray
--Green Grow the Rashes
--I'll Ay Ca' in by Yon Town
--Ca' the Yowes to the Knowes
--Willie Wastle
--My Heart's in the Highlands
--There was a Lad
--John Barleycorn: A Ballad
--Willie Brew'd a Peck o' Maut
--The Deil's awa' wi' the Exciseman
--A Man's a Man for a' That
--Auld Lang Syne
--McPherson's Farewell
--Robert Bruce's Address to His Troops at Bannockburn
--Lament of Mary, Queen of Scots, on the Approach of Spring
--The Braes o' Killiecrankie
--Such a Parcel of Rogues in a Nation
--Charlie, He's My Darling

Psalms and Prayers

--Paraphrase of the First Psalm
--The First Six Verses of the Ninetieth Psalm
--Prayer, in the Prospect of Death
--Prayer, under the Pressure of Violent Anguish

Notes

[Sayantan Dasgupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Laura Verret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like a variety of poets for a variety of reasons, but Robert Burns has never been one whom I have numbered amongst my favorites. His poems are much loved on the basis of their provincialism, and I think that it is on the same basis that I don’t enjoy them so much. They feel as though they are the product of a culture that I just don’t connect with – a culture of ghaists and houlets, and swampy fields. Which isn’t so much my thing.

I do enjoy, however, the opportunity to improve my Scottish accent, as reading Robert Burns practically REQUIRES that one employs a Scottish accent in order to understand the words being used.

On an editing note, I found the book’s method of presenting additional notes confusing. Likely-to-be-unknown words are assigned numbers throughout the poems, and then a list of definitions is included at the end of each poem. It would have been far more enlightening had these definitions been included in the sidebars (which were open) so that access to them would have been immediate.

Conclusion. Not a bad introduction to Robert Burns poetry.

[Emily Andrews · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not too impressed with this edition. I like the translations, but there was no indication while you were reading the poem which words were to be translated so you could have a quick look for easy reference.