Today is the 250th anniversary of the birth of the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. Happy birthday, Robby Burns!
Celebrations are being held across the globe tonight—Burns Night—to mark the occasion. And one such celebration will occur at our home as well.
Why celebrate the birth of Robert Burns? Though he is the author of immortal lyrics such as “Auld Lang Syne” and “O, My Luve is Like a Red, Red Rose,” why the festivities? Presumably one does not need a special occasion to drink Scotch whisky or even eat haggis. Why in honor of Burns?
The Scottish nation was impotent and demoralized in the latter years of the 18th century and early 19th century. Scotland had freely joined in a union with England in 1707 to create Great Britain, and in fact a Scottish family—the Stuarts—had been monarchs of England through the 17th century and up until 1714. When the last Stuart, Queen Anne, died with no heir, Parliament following the rules of succession went as far afield as Hannover to find the next Protestant in line and chose the Elector of Hannover, George, as the next British monarch, beginning a line of German-English sovereigns that continues to the present day. Scots felt ignored and abandoned.
There were uprisings to return a Stuart to the throne in 1715 and again in 1745, encouraged and abetted by Scots, particularly the Highlanders. English armies reacted swiftly and brutally, especially in 1745. William, the Duke of Cumberland—still known in Scotland as “Bloody Billy”—decided once and for all to exterminate the pesky rebels. Today we would call his campaign genocide. Cumberland sought to exterminate every aspect of Highland culture, from the ancient language to the wearing of tartans. And he was quite successful. The English still remember Cumberland as a military hero. Handel’s stirring “Hail to the Conquering Hero” was penned in his honor, and the flower “sweet William” named for him. For Scots he represents all that is evil in their long complicated relationship with the English.
The pen is, indeed, mightier than the sword. The young, dashing Burns began his prodigious composition of lyric poems writing in Scots dialect about average Scots and slowly began to rebuild a sense of pride in all things Scot. His poems had the effect of rekindling pride in being Scot, whether Lowlander or Highlander. His contemporary, Sir Walter Scot, also celebrated Scottish history, language, and culture, but it is to the romantic, and often profane and ribald Burns that the credit is given for rescuing Scotland.
Tonight many glasses will be lifted and toasts pronounced to the one and only Robert Burns. Happy birthday, indeed, Robby Burns!
Celebrations are being held across the globe tonight—Burns Night—to mark the occasion. And one such celebration will occur at our home as well.
Why celebrate the birth of Robert Burns? Though he is the author of immortal lyrics such as “Auld Lang Syne” and “O, My Luve is Like a Red, Red Rose,” why the festivities? Presumably one does not need a special occasion to drink Scotch whisky or even eat haggis. Why in honor of Burns?
The Scottish nation was impotent and demoralized in the latter years of the 18th century and early 19th century. Scotland had freely joined in a union with England in 1707 to create Great Britain, and in fact a Scottish family—the Stuarts—had been monarchs of England through the 17th century and up until 1714. When the last Stuart, Queen Anne, died with no heir, Parliament following the rules of succession went as far afield as Hannover to find the next Protestant in line and chose the Elector of Hannover, George, as the next British monarch, beginning a line of German-English sovereigns that continues to the present day. Scots felt ignored and abandoned.
There were uprisings to return a Stuart to the throne in 1715 and again in 1745, encouraged and abetted by Scots, particularly the Highlanders. English armies reacted swiftly and brutally, especially in 1745. William, the Duke of Cumberland—still known in Scotland as “Bloody Billy”—decided once and for all to exterminate the pesky rebels. Today we would call his campaign genocide. Cumberland sought to exterminate every aspect of Highland culture, from the ancient language to the wearing of tartans. And he was quite successful. The English still remember Cumberland as a military hero. Handel’s stirring “Hail to the Conquering Hero” was penned in his honor, and the flower “sweet William” named for him. For Scots he represents all that is evil in their long complicated relationship with the English.
The pen is, indeed, mightier than the sword. The young, dashing Burns began his prodigious composition of lyric poems writing in Scots dialect about average Scots and slowly began to rebuild a sense of pride in all things Scot. His poems had the effect of rekindling pride in being Scot, whether Lowlander or Highlander. His contemporary, Sir Walter Scot, also celebrated Scottish history, language, and culture, but it is to the romantic, and often profane and ribald Burns that the credit is given for rescuing Scotland.
Tonight many glasses will be lifted and toasts pronounced to the one and only Robert Burns. Happy birthday, indeed, Robby Burns!
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