Scotland’s Baird
Rabbie Burns is the best loved Scottish poet, admired not only for his verse and great love-songs, but also for his character, his high spirits, ‘kirk-defying’, hard drinking and womanising! He came to fame as a poet when he was 27 years old, and his lifestyle of wine, women and song made him famous all over Scotland.
Known in medieval Celtic culture as a storyteller, verses maker and composer, the word “Baird” has become synonymous with the world’s greatest poets. However, few are as celebrated as Scotland’s own “National Bard” who we pay tribute to on his birthday 25th January each year
He was the son of a farmer, born in a cottage built by his father, in Alloway in Ayr. This cottage is now a museum, dedicated to Burns.
As a boy, he always loved stories of the supernatural, told to him by an old farm worker who sometimes helped on his fathers farm and when Burns reached adulthood, he turned many of these stories into poems.
After the death of his father in 1784, Burns inherited the farm but by 1786 he was in terrible financial difficulties, the farm was not successful and he had made two women pregnant. Burns decided to emigrate to Jamaica so to raise the money required for this journey, he published his ‘Poems in the Scottish Dialect’ in 1786, which was an immediate success. He was persuaded not to leave Scotland by Dr Thomas Blacklock and in 1787 an Edinburgh edition of the poems was published.
Robert Burns was fondly known as Rabbie Burns, but Scotland’s Bard was not born with either name. Rabbie was in fact Robert Burness until he chose to shorten his last name at the age of 27. He also never signed his name ‘Rabbie. The poet went by Rob, Rab, Robin but never once Rabbie.
It is widely believed Burns wrote Auld Lang Syne but he didn’t actually compose the song himself. In 1788 he sent the poem to the Scots Musical Museum and told them it was an ancient song which had never been written down before and had only been passed on by word of mouth. He is said to have recorded the words on a piece of paper after an old man dictated it to him.
In 1789 Burns was asked to produce a witch tale to accompany a picture of Auld Kirk Alloway in the book Antiquities of Scotland.
Considered by many to be Burns finest poem, the story of Tam O’Shanter is thought to have been based on an old witches folk tale.
Two of Burns drinking pals was John Davidson a Souter or Shoemaker from the village of Kirkoswald, he was the original Souter Johnnie and Douglas Graham a local farmer
Robert Burns poem Tam O’Shanter, recounts the story of farmer Tam who encounters a coven of witches.
In short, he had been drinking in Ayr until near the witching hour (the hours between night and day) As he rides his mare past the Auld kirk Alloway he sees witches and warlocks dancing with the devil himself playing the bagpipes. One young witch dancing in short undergarments so impresses the farmer that he shouts Weel Luppen Maggy Wei the short Sark! And then has to flee for his life as the Witches and Warlocks give chase.
He makes for the bridge over the River Doon despite the Mare being a fast one by the time the horse reaches the middle of the bridge the pursuing witches were so close managed to grip and pull the horses tail. The poor horses tail never regrew.
Written in 1790 This is thought to be one of Burns finest poems.
The tale is in fact, based on an actual person, Douglas Graham of Shanter Farm, Carrick. He had a reputation for getting very drunk on market days. He supplied his cousin’s inn with Barley and it was at this inn that he would drink, along with his friend John Davidson.
Burns Tam gave his name to the traditional Scottish bonnet he wore, known as a Tam O’Shanter since the early 19th century. Made of wool, originally they were hand knitted in one piece, stretched on a wooden disc to give the distinctive flat shape and then felted. The Tam O’Shanter is then decorated with a woollen ball or ‘toorie’
On the morning of 21 July 1796, Burns died in Dumfries, at the age of 37. The funeral took place on Monday 25 July 1796, the day that his son Maxwell was born.
It is thought Burns died of endocarditis, a disease of the substance and lining membrane of the heart, It is clear that Burns liked alcohol and was inebriated on numerous occasions. However, it is false to suggest that his drinking contributed to his demise.
Cause of death: Endocarditis
