This fine
statue to Robert Burns was unveiled at Leith on the 15th October
1898. Replicas have subsequently been erected in
Newcastle-upon-Tyne and in Toronto.
The Kilmarnock Volume was Robert Burns first published book in
1786. Much of his fame today still rests on the poems which
appeared in that volume.
Robert Burns was one of the most charismatic people ever to
have
walked on this earth. Yet even today, 250 years after his birth,
he
is misunderstood by many.
Robert Burns was a complex individual. We can look at
different
aspects of his character almost as if we were looking at the
facets
of a diamond. Each facet has a clarity, a depth and a
brilliance.
Firstly there
is Burns the poet.
It was his poems which initially assured him of a worldwide
stage.
Poems that are full of fun. Poems that champion the poor and
oppressed. Satires against the hypocrisy and cant of the
Calvinistic church. Philosophies and observations of life and its
people. His concern for human rights and his love of
friendship.
His poems can pierce your soul.
Burns the songwriter.
It was into his songs that Burns' consummate literary craftsmanship
breathed a rejuvenating life and spirit, and a consistently
all-pervading honesty and sincerity. Burns rescued over 370 songs
from obscurity and neglect.
Burns the letter writer.
His correspondents included the Prime Minister, clergymen, doctors,
lawyers and the cream of literary society of his day. He immersed
himself in the affairs of the time, political and social, writing
to John Francis Erskine,the 27th Earl of Mar as follows:
'Does any man tell me, that my feeble efforts can be of no
service; that it does not belong to my humble station to meddle
with the concerns of a People? - I tell him, that it is on such
individuals as I, that for the hand of support and the eye of
intelligence, a Nation has to rest.'
At that time only the wealthy had a vote, and yet Burns, one of
the
greatest intellects to walk the world's stage, who mingled at
ease
in conversation with the aristocracy, had no vote.
Burns the patriot and politician.
Robert Burns was quintessentially Scottish. Almost everything
he
did was political. His writing of songs was done for no
remuneration. He knew that a nation without song had no soul.
He
knew that a nation without song would lose its identity. He
kept
alive the idea that there was such a thing as a Scottish nation.
He
helped to keep our belief in ourselves breathing through a
long,
long hibernation. The truth is that Scotland would have a
different
identity, if it had not been for Robert Burns.
Burns was universal and a humanitarian.
He was able to take everyday events, as in To a Mouse or Mountain
Daisy, for example, and turn them into universal truths. His poetry
speaks of breaking down international barriers, of championing
human rights, and standing up and being a voice for oppressed
people throughout the world.
If A Man’s a Man is the Anthem to humanity then Auld Lang Syne is
the world’s National Anthem, an anthem of friendship.
He is Immortal.
Check
out the web page for details on this statue.
