No More Learning

On Seeing Mrs. Kemble In Yarico
Epigram On A Country Laird (Cardoness)
Epigram on the Same Laird's Country Seat
Epigram on Dr. Babinton's Looks
Epigram On A Suicide
Epigram On A Swearing Coxcomb
Epigram On An Innkeeper Nicknamed (The Marquis)
Epigram On Andrew Turner
Song--Pretty Peg
Esteem For Chloris
Song--Saw Ye My Dear, My Philly
Song--How Lang And Dreary Is The Night
Song--Inconstancy In Love
The Lover's Morning Salute To His Mistress
Song--The Winter Of Life
Song--Behold, My Love, How Green The Groves
Song--The Charming Month Of May
Song--Lassie Wi' The Lint-White Locks
Dialogue song--Philly And Willy
Song--Contented Wi' Little And Cantie Wi' Mair
Song--Farewell Thou Stream
Song--Canst Thou Leave Me Thus, My Katie
Song--My Nanie's Awa
Song--The Tear-Drop--Wae is my heart
Song--For The Sake O' Somebody

1795

Song--A Man's A Man For A' That
The Solemn League And Covenant
Lines to John Syme with a Dozen of Porter.
Inscription On Mr. Syme's Crystal Goblet
Apology To Mr. Syme For Not Dining with him
Epitaph For Mr. Gabriel Richardson
Epigram On Mr. James Gracie
Song--Bonie Peg-a-Ramsay
Inscription At Friars' Carse Hermitage
Song--Fragment--There Was A Bonie Lass
Song--Fragment--Wee Willie Gray
Song--O Aye My Wife She Dang Me
Song--Gude Ale Keeps The Heart Aboon
Song--O Steer Her Up An' Haud Her Gaun
Song--The Lass O' Ecclefechan
Song--O Let Me In Thes Ae Night
Song--I'll Aye Ca' In By Yon Town
Ballads on Mr. Heron's Election--Ballad First
Ballads on Mr. Heron's Election--Ballad Second
Ballads on Mr. Heron's Election--Ballad Third
Inscription For An Altar Of Independence
Song--The Cardin O't, The Spinnin O't
Song--The Cooper O' Cuddy
Song--The Lass That Made The Bed To Me
Song--Had I The Wyte? She Bade Me
Song--Does Haughty Gaul Invasion Threat?
Song--Address To The Woodlark
Song. --On Chloris Being Ill
Song--How Cruel Are The Parents
Song--Yonder Pomp Of Costly Fashion
Song--'Twas Na Her Bonie Blue E'e
Song--Their Groves O'Sweet Myrtle
Song--Forlorn, My Love, No Comfort Near
Song--Fragment,--Why, Why Tell The Lover
Song--The Braw Wooer
Song--This Is No My Ain Lassie
Song--O Bonie Was Yon Rosy Brier
Song--Song Inscribed To Alexander Cunningham
Song--O That's The Lassie O' My Heart

Inscription to Chloris
Song--Fragment. --The Wren's Nest
Song--News, Lassies, News
Song--Crowdie Ever Mair
Song--Mally's Meek, Mally's Sweet
Song--Jockey's Taen The Parting Kiss
Verses To Collector Mitchell

1796

The Dean Of Faculty
Epistle To Colonel De Peyster
Song--A Lass Wi' A Tocher
Song--The Trogger.
Complimentary Versicles To Jessie Lewars
1. The Toast
2. The Menagerie
3. Jessie's illness
4. On Her Recovery
Song--O Lay Thy Loof In Mine, Lass
Song--A Health To Ane I Loe Dear
Song--O Wert Thou In The Cauld Blast
Inscription To Miss Jessy Lewars
Song--Fairest Maid On Devon Banks
Glossary





POEMS AND SONGS OF ROBERT BURNS




Preface

Robert Burns was born near Ayr, Scotland, 25th of January, 1759. He was
the son of William Burnes, or Burness, at the time of the poet's birth a
nurseryman on the banks of the Doon in Ayrshire. His father, though
always extremely poor, attempted to give his children a fair education,
and Robert, who was the eldest, went to school for three years in a
neighboring village, and later, for shorter periods, to three other
schools in the vicinity. But it was to his father and to his own reading
that he owed the more important part of his education; and by the time
that he had reached manhood he had a good knowledge of English, a
reading knowledge of French, and a fairly wide acquaintance with the
masterpieces of English literature from the time of Shakespeare to his
own day. In 1766 William Burness rented on borrowed money the farm of
Mount Oliphant, and in taking his share in the effort to make this
undertaking succeed, the future poet seems to have seriously
overstrained his physique. In 1771 the family move to Lochlea, and Burns
went to the neighboring town of Irvine to learn flax-dressing. The only
result of this experiment, however, was the formation of an acquaintance
with a dissipated sailor, whom he afterward blamed as the prompter of
his first licentious adventures. His father died in 1784, and with his
brother Gilbert the poet rented the farm of Mossgiel; but this venture
was as unsuccessful as the others. He had meantime formed an irregular
intimacy with Jean Armour, for which he was censured by the
Kirk-session. As a result of his farming misfortunes, and the attempts
of his father-in-law to overthrow his irregular marriage with Jean, he
resolved to emigrate; and in order to raise money for the passage he
published (Kilmarnock, 1786) a volume of the poems which he had been
composing from time to time for some years. This volume was unexpectedly
successful, so that, instead of sailing for the West Indies, he went up
to Edinburgh, and during that winter he was the chief literary celebrity
of the season. An enlarged edition of his poems was published there in
1787, and the money derived from this enabled him to aid his brother in
Mossgiel, and to take and stock for himself the farm of Ellisland in
Dumfriesshire.