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ROBERT BURNS (1759–1796)
Robert Bums was the most democratic poet of the 18th century; His birthday is celebrated in Scotland as a national holiday. His verses inspired many poets, British and foreign and were highly appreciated by Karl Marx and his daughters.
Burns's poetry may be regarded as a treasury of all that is best in Scottish songs, some of them being late echoes of much older ones.
Burns is very popular in the Ukraine. The first translations of his works appeared in our country at the close of the 18th century, and since then he has always been widely read. We admire the plain Scottish peasant who became one of the world's greatest poets. His Life Robert Bums was bom on January 25, 1759, in a small clay cottage at Alloway in Ayrshire, Scotland. His father, William Burns, was a poor fanner. Later, the poet wrote about him in his verses "My Father Was a Fanner”.
Poor as he was, William Burns tried to give his son 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. Thus William had to pay for only one pupil. When not at school, the boys helped the father with hi work in the fields. Robert was at the plough working from morning till night. He strained his heart; he became subject to severe attacks of rheumatic fever.
The school was closed some months after the boys had begun attending a clever young man, Murdoch by name, to teach their children languages and grammar. Robert was a capable boy and, with the help of his new teacher, received a decent education. He learned the French and Latin languages and became fond of reading. He read whatever he could lay his hands on. His favourite writers were Shakespeare, Steme, Smollett, and Robert Fergusson, a talented Scottish poet (1750– 1774), whose tragic fate deeply touched Burns. In his many verses, devoted to Fergusson, Bums accuses the "titled knaves", who let the "ill-fated genius" die.
Burns started writing poems at the age of seventeen. 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.
The ploughing that led to the composition of those songs, was profitless, however, in another respect: in vain did Robert and Gilbert toil like "galley-slaves" to help their father. In 1784, worn out, exhausted and burdened with debts, William Bums died. After his death the family moved to Mossgiel where Robert and Gilbert managed to rent a small farm. The young men worked hard, but the land gave poor crops, and the affairs of the family went from bad to worse. The young poet keenly felt the injustice of the world, where the best land pastures, and woods belonged to the landlords. His indignation was min-ored in his many verses, which became so dear to the hearts of the common people.
Though Robert despised those who worshipped money, "to be rich was not my wish ("My Father Was a Farmer"), he now became well aware of the fact that poverty could ruin his whole life: he had fallen in love with Jean Armour and was going to many her, but the girl's father did not want to have a poor peasant for his son-in-law. The fact that the young people loved each other did not alter his intention to many Jean to a rich man.