Robert Burns biography :

Scottish poet Robert Burns was born on 25 January 1759 at Alloway, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Although he studied at John Murdoch’s school, he was educated mainly by his father, William Burnes, who worked as a gardener in Ayr.

Robert’s youth was marked with poverty, and he tried his hand at several labour intensive jobs, which adversely affected his physical health. To pass away his time, he took to writing poetry. He wrote a song entitled “O, once I lov’d a bonnie lass” after the encouragement of his first love, Nelly Kirkpatrick.

In 1781, while working as a flax-dresser in Irvine, Robert began to write poetry regularly. “Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect”, a compilation of Robert Burns’ works, including “To a Mouse” and “The Holy Fair” was published on 31 July 1786. The unexpected success of his collection catapulted Burns into stardom. He moved to Edinburgh and was later known as the unschooled “ploughman poet”.

Jean Armour, one of the five ladies who sired him 8 illegitimate children, managed to tame Rabbie’s wild ways and ultimately became Mrs. Burns in 1788. They moved to Mauchline and later on to Dumfries.

Robert Burns continued to compose songs and poems. He gave 114 songs to “A Select Collection of Scottish Airs” where he received little or no payment.

His last work, “For a’that and a’that” was inspired by the events of the French Revolution. He wrote it in 1795, about a year before his untimely demise due to rheumatic fever on 21 July 1796.

He was instrumental in making, “Auld Lang Syne”, an old Scottish folk song of unknown origin into the New Year anthem we all know today.

Robert Burns lies in the churchyard of St. Michael’s in Dumfries.