preface robertburnswasbornnearayr,scotland,25thofjanuary,1759.hewasthesonofwilliamburnes,orburness,atthetimeofthepoet'sbirthanurserymanonthebanksofthedooninayrshire.hisfather,thoughalwaysextremelypoor,attemptedtogivehischildrenafaireducation,androbert,whowastheeldest,wenttoschoolforthreeyearsinaneighboringvillage,andlater,forshorterperiods,tothreeotherschoolsinthevicinity.butitwastohisfatherandtohisownreadingthatheowedthemoreimportantpartofhiseducationandbythetimethathehadreachedmanhoodhehadagoodknowledgeofenglish,areadingknowledgeoffrench,andafairlywideacquaintancewiththemasterpiecesofenglishliteraturefromthetimeofshakespearetohisownday.in1766williamburnessrentedonborrowedmoneythefarmofmountoliphant,andintakinghisshareintheefforttomakethisundertakingsucceed,thefuturepoetseemstohaveseriouslyoverstrainedhisphysique.in1771thefamilymovetolochlea,andburnswenttotheneighboringtownofirvinetolearnflax-dressing.theonlyresuofthisexperiment,however,wastheformationofanacquaintancewithadissipatedsailor,whomheafterwardblamedastheprompterofhisfirstlicentiousadventures.hisfatherdiedin1784,andwithhisbrothergilbertthepoetrentedthefarmofmossgielbutthisventurewasasunsuccessfulastheothers.hehadmeantimeformedanirregularintimacywithjeanarmour,forwhichhewascensuredbythekirk-session.asaresuofhisfarmingmisfortunes,andtheattemptsofhisfather-in-lawtooverthrowhisirregularmarriagewithjean,heresolvedtoemigrateandinordertoraisemoneyforthepassagehepublished(kilmarnock,1786)avolumeofthepoemswhichhehadbeencomposingfromtimetotimeforsomeyears.thisvolumewasunexpectedlysuccessful,sothat,insteadofsailingforthewestindies,hewentuptoedinburgh,andduringthatwinterhewasthechiefliterarycelebrityoftheseason.anenlargededitionofhispoemswaspublishedtherein1787,andthemoneyderivedfromthisenabledhimtoaidhisbrotherinmossgiel,andtotakeandstockforhimselfthefarmofellislandindumfriesshire.hisfameaspoethadreconciledthearmourstotheconnection,andhavingnowregularlymarriedjean,hebroughthertoellisland,andoncemoretriedfarmingforthreeyears.continuedill-success,however,ledhim,in1791,toabandonellisland,andhemovedtodumfries,wherehehadobtainedapositionintheexcise.buthewasnowthoroughlydiscouragedhisworkwasmeredrudgeryhistendencytotakehisrelaxationindebaucheryincreasedtheweaknessofaconstitutionearlyunderminedandhediedatdumfriesinhisthirty-eighthyear. itisnotnecessaryheretoattempttodisentangleorexplainawaythenumerousamoursinwhichhewasengagedthroughthegreaterpartofhislife.itisevidentthatburnswasamanofextremelypassionatenatureandfondofconvivialityandthemisfortunesofhislotcombinedwithhisnaturaendenciestodrivehimtofrequentexcessesofself-indulgence.hewasoftenremorseful,andhestrovepainfully,ifintermittently,afterbetterthings.butthestoryofhislifemustbeadmittedtobeinitsexternalsapainfulandsomewhatsordidchronicle.thatitcontained,however,manymomentsofjoyandexaationisprovedbythepoemshereprinted. burns'poetryfallsintotwomaingroups:englishandscottish.hisenglishpoemsare,forthemostpart,inferiorspecimensofconventionaleighteenth-centuryverse.butinscottishpoetryheachievedtriumphsofaquiteextraordinarykind.sincethetimeofthereformationandtheunionofthecrownsofenglandandscotland,thescotsdialecthadlargelyfallenintodisuseasamediumfordignifiedwriting.shortlybeforeburns'time,however,allanramsayandrobertfergussonhadbeentheleadingfiguresinarevivalofthevernacular,andburnsreceivedfromthemanationaraditionwhichhesucceededincarryingtoitshighestpitch,becomingthereby,toanalmostuniquedegree,thepoetofhispeople. hefirstshowedcompletemasteryofverseinthefieldofsatire.in“thetwaherds,”“holywillie'sprayer,”“addresstotheuncoguid,”“theholyfair,”andothers,hemanifestedsympathywiththeprotestoftheso-called“newlight”party,whichhadsprungupinoppositiontotheextremecalvinismandintoleranceofthedominant“auldlichts.”thefactthatburnshadpersonallysufferedfromthedisciplineofthekirkprobablyaddedfiretohisattacks,butthesatiresshowmorethanpersonalanimus.theforceoftheinvective,thekeennessofthewit,andthefervoroftheimaginationwhichtheydisplayed,renderedthemanimportantforceinthetheologicalliberationofscotland. thekilmarnockvolumecontained,besidessatire,anumberofpoemslike“thetwadogs”and“thecotter'ssaturdaynight,”whicharevividlydescriptiveofthescotspeasantlifewithwhichhewasmostfamiliarandagrouplike“puirmailie”and“toamouse,”which,inthetendernessoftheirtreatmentofanimals,revealedoneofthemostattractivesidesofburns'personality.manyofhispoemswereneverprintedduringhislifetime,themostremarkableofthesebeing“thejollybeggars,”apieceinwhich,bytheintensityofhisimaginativesympathyandthebrillianceofhistechnique,herendersapictureofthelowestdregsofsocietyinsuchawayastoraiseitintotherealmofgreatpoetry. buttherealnationalimportanceofburnsisduechieflytohissongs.thepuritanausterityofthecenturiesfollowingthereformationhaddiscouragedsecularmusic,likeotherformsofart,inscotlandandasaresuscottishsonghadbecomehopelesslydegradedinpointbothofdecencyandliteraryquality.fromyouthburnshadbeeninterestedincollectingthefragmentshehadheardsungorfoundprinted,andhecametoregardtherescuingofthisalmostlostnationalinheritanceinthelightofavocation.abouthissong-making,twopointsareespeciallynoteworthy:first,thatthegreaternumberofhislyricssprangfromactualemotionalexperiencessecond,thatalmostallwerecomposedtooldmelodies.whileinedinburghheundertooktosupplymaterialforjohnson's“musicalmuseum,”andasfewofthetraditionalsongscouldappearinarespectablecollection,burnsfounditnecessarytomakethemover.sometimeshekeptastanzaortwosometimesonlyalineorchorussometimesmerelythenameoftheairtherestwashisown.hismethod,ashehastoldushimself,wastobecomefamiliarwiththetraditionalmelody,tocatchasuggestionfromsomefragmentoftheoldsong,tofixuponanideaorsituationforthenewpoemthen,hummingorwhistlingthetuneashewentabouthiswork,hewroughtoutthenewverses,goingintothehousetowritethemdownwhentheinspirationbegantoflag.inthisprocessistobefoundtheexplanationofmuchofthepeculiarqualityofthesongsofburns.scarcelyanyknownauthorhassucceededsobrilliantlyincombininghisworkwithfolkmaterial,orincarryingonwithsuchcontinuityofspiritthetraditionofpopularsong.forgeorgethomson'scollectionofscottishairsheperformedafunctionsimilartothatwhichhehadhadinthe“museum”andhispoeticalactivityduringthelasteightornineyearsofhislifewaschieflydevotedtothesetwopublications.inspiteofthefactthathewasconstantlyinseverefinancialstraits,herefusedtoacceptanyrecompenseforthiswork,preferringtoregarditasapatrioticservice.anditwas,indeed,apatrioticserviceofnosmallmagnitude.bybirthandtemperamenthewassingularlyfittedforthetask,andthisfitnessisprovedbytheuniqueextenttowhichhisproductionswereacceptedbyhiscountrymen,andhavepassedintothelifeandfeelingofhisrace.