Glenriddell's Fox Breaking His Chain Poem On Pastoral Poetry Verses On The Destruction Of The Woods Near Drumlanrig The Gallant Weaver Epigram At Brownhill Inn^1 Lovely Polly Stewart Fragment—Damon And Sylvia Johnie Lad, Cock Up Your Beaver My Eppie Macnab Altho' He Has Left Me My Tocher's The Jewel O For Ane An' Twenty, Tam Thou Fair Eliza My Bonie Bell Sweet Afton Address To The Shade Of Thomson Nithsdale's Welcome Hame Frae The Friends And Land I Love Such A Parcel Of Rogues In A Nation Ye Jacobites By Name I Hae Been At Crookieden O Kenmure's On And Awa, Willie Epistle To John Maxwell, ESQ., Of Terraughty Second Epistle To Robert Graham, ESQ., Of Fintry The Song Of Death Poem On Sensibility The Toadeater Divine Service In The Kirk Of Lamington The Keekin'-Glass A Grace Before Dinner, Extempore A Grace After Dinner, Extempore O May, Thy Morn Ae Fond Kiss, And Then We Sever Behold The Hour, The Boat, Arrive Thou Gloomy December My Native Land Sae Far Awa 1792 I do Confess Thou Art Sae Fair Lines On Fergusson, The Poet The Weary Pund O' Tow When She Cam' Ben She Bobbed Scroggam, My Dearie My Collier Laddie Sic A Wife As Willie Had Lady Mary Ann Kellyburn Braes The Slave's Lament O Can Ye Labour Lea? The Deuks Dang O'er My Daddie The Deil's Awa Wi' The Exciseman The Country Lass
Bessy And Her Spinnin' Wheel Love For Love Saw Ye Bonie Lesley Fragment Of Song I'll Meet Thee On The Lea Rig My Wife's A Winsome Wee Thing Highland Mary Auld Rob Morris The Rights Of Woman Epigram On Seeing Miss Fontenelle In A Favourite Character Extempore On Some Commemorations Of Thomson Duncan Gray Here's A Health To Them That's Awa A Tippling Ballad 1793 Poortith Cauld And Restless Love On Politics Braw Lads O' Galla Water Sonnet Written On The Author's Birthday, Wandering Willie—First Version Wandering Willie—Revised Version Lord Gregory Open The Door To Me, Oh Lovely Young Jessie Meg O' The Mill Meg O' The Mill—Another Version The Soldier's Return Versicles, A.D. 1793 The True Loyal Natives On Commissary Goldie's Brains Lines Inscribed In A Lady's Pocket Almanac Thanksgiving For A National Victory Lines On The Commemoration Of Rodney's Victory The Raptures Of Folly Kirk and State Excisemen Extempore Reply To An Invitation Grace After Meat Grace Before And After Meat Impromptu On General Dumourier's Desertion From The French Republican Army The Last Time I Came O'er The Moor Logan Braes Blythe Hae I been On Yon Hill O Were My Love Yon Lilac Fair Bonie Jean—A Ballad Lines On John M'Murdo, ESQ. Epitaph On A Lap-Dog Epigrams Against The Earl Of Galloway Epigram On The Laird Of Laggan Song—Phillis The Fair Song—Had I A Cave Song—By Allan Stream Whistle, And I'll Come To You, My Lad Phillis The Queen O' The Fair Come, Let Me Take Thee To My Breast Dainty Davie Robert Bruce's March To Bannockburn Behold The Hour, The Boat Arrive Down The Burn, Davie Thou Hast Left Me Ever, Jamie Where Are The Joys I have Met? Deluded Swain, The Pleasure Thine Am I, My Faithful Fair On Mrs. Riddell's Birthday My Spouse Nancy Address Complimentary Epigram On Maria Riddell 1794 Remorseful Apology Wilt Thou Be My Dearie? A Fiddler In The North The Minstrel At Lincluden A Vision A Red, Red Rose Young Jamie, Pride Of A' The Plain The Flowery Banks Of Cree Monody The Epitaph Pinned To Mrs. Walter Riddell's Carriage Epitaph For Mr. Walter Riddell Epistle From Esopus To Maria Epitaph On A Noted Coxcomb On Capt. Lascelles On Wm. Graham, Esq., Of Mossknowe On John Bushby, Esq., Tinwald Downs Sonnet On The Death Of Robert Riddell The Lovely Lass O' Inverness Charlie, He's My Darling Bannocks O' Bear Meal The Highland Balou The Highland Widow's Lament It Was A' For Our Rightfu' King Ode For General Washington's Birthday Inscription To Miss Graham Of Fintry On The Seas And Far Away Ca' The Yowes To The Knowes—Second Version She Says She Loes Me Best Of A' To Dr. Maxwell To The Beautiful Miss Eliza J—N On Chloris On Seeing Mrs. Kemble In Yarico Epigram On A Country Laird, On Being Shewn A Beautiful Country Seat On Hearing It Asserted Falsehood On A Suicide On A Swearing Coxcomb On An Innkeeper Nicknamed “The Marquis” On Andrew Turner Pretty Peg Esteem For Chloris Saw Ye My Dear, My Philly How Lang And Dreary Is The Night Inconstancy In Love The Lover's Morning Salute To His Mistress The Winter Of Life Behold, My Love, How Green The Groves The Charming Month Of May Lassie Wi' The Lint-White Locks Dialogue song—Philly And Willy Contented Wi' Little And Cantie Wi' Mair Farewell Thou Stream Canst Thou Leave Me Thus, My Katie My Nanie's Awa The Tear-Drop For The Sake O' Somebody 1795 A Man's A Man For A' That Craigieburn Wood Versicles of 1795 The Solemn League And Covenant Lines sent with a Present of a Dozen of Porter. Inscription On A Goblet Apology For Declining An Invitation To Dine Epitaph For Mr. Gabriel Richardson Epigram On Mr. James Gracie Bonie Peg-a-Ramsay Inscription At Friars' Carse Hermitage There Was A Bonie Lass Wee Willie Gray O Aye My Wife She Dang Me Gude Ale Keeps The Heart Aboon O Steer Her Up An' Haud Her Gaun The Lass O' Ecclefechan O Let Me In Thes Ae Night Her Answer I'll Aye Ca' In By Yon Town O Wat Ye Wha's In Yon Town Ballads on Mr. Heron's Election, 1795 Inscription For An Altar Of Independence The Cardin O't, The Spinnin O't The Cooper O' Cuddy The Lass That Made The Bed To Me Had I The Wyte? She Bade Me Does Haughty Gaul Invasion Threat? Address To The Woodlark Song.—On Chloris Being Ill How Cruel Are The Parents Mark Yonder Pomp Of Costly Fashion 'Twas Na Her Bonie Blue E'e Their Groves O'Sweet Myrtle Forlorn, My Love, No Comfort Near Fragment—Why, Why Tell The Lover The Braw Wooer This Is No My Ain Lassie O Bonie Was Yon Rosy Brier Song Inscribed To Alexander Cunningham O That's The Lassie O' My Heart Inscription Fragment.—Leezie Lindsay Fragment.—The Wren's Nest News, Lassies, News Crowdie Ever Mair Mally's Meek, Mally's Sweet Jockey's Taen The Parting Kiss Verses To Collector Mitchell Postscript 1796 The Dean Of Faculty Epistle To Colonel De Peyster A Lass Wi' A Tocher Heron Election Ballad, No. IV. Complimentary Versicles To Jessie Lewars O Lay Thy Loof In Mine, Lass A Health To Ane I Loe Dear O Wert Thou In The Cauld Blast Inscription To Miss Jessy Lewars Fairest Maid On Devon Banks Glossary
Preface
Robert Burns was born near Ayr, Scotland, 25th of January, 1759. He was the son of William Burnes, or Burness, at the time of the poet's birth a nurseryman on the banks of the Doon in Ayrshire. His father, though always extremely poor, attempted to give his children a fair education, and Robert, who was the eldest, went to school for three years in a neighboring village, and later, for shorter periods, to three other schools in the vicinity. But it was to his father and to his own reading that he owed the more important part of his education; and by the time that he had reached manhood he had a good knowledge of English, a reading knowledge of French, and a fairly wide acquaintance with the masterpieces of English literature from the time of Shakespeare to his own day. In 1766 William Burness rented on borrowed money the farm of Mount Oliphant, and in taking his share in the effort to make this undertaking succeed, the future poet seems to have seriously overstrained his physique. In 1771 the family move to Lochlea, and Burns went to the neighboring town of Irvine to learn flax-dressing. The only result of this experiment, however, was the formation of an acquaintance with a dissipated sailor, whom he afterward blamed as the prompter of his first licentious adventures. His father died in 1784, and with his brother Gilbert the poet rented the farm of Mossgiel; but this venture was as unsuccessful as the others. He had meantime formed an irregular intimacy with Jean Armour, for which he was censured by the Kirk-session. As a result of his farming misfortunes, and the attempts of his father-in-law to overthrow his irregular marriage with Jean, he resolved to emigrate; and in order to raise money for the passage he published (Kilmarnock, 1786) a volume of the poems which he had been composing from time to time for some years. This volume was unexpectedly successful, so that, instead of sailing for the West Indies, he went up to Edinburgh, and during that winter he was the chief literary celebrity of the season. An enlarged edition of his poems was published there in 1787, and the money derived from this enabled him to aid his brother in Mossgiel, and to take and stock for himself the farm of Ellisland in Dumfriesshire.