Man Was Made to Mourn - - Robert Burns

Robert Burns has managed to capture our imagination, bringing him recognition as the "greatest poet that ever sprung from the bosom of the people." With its Scottish flare, he depicted the land and culture, drawing in readers of a variety of backgrounds, and helping us understand what it is to mourn.

Robert Burns once told his brother that "he could not well conceive a more mortifying picture of human life than a man seeking work." That humiliating and desperate "sentiment" came to life with "Man was Made to Mourn," an archetypal view of mankind. This elegy mixes his Scottish roots with his unique poetic style. We are reminded that "Man's inhumanity to man / Makes countless thousands mourn."

About Robert Burns

Born in Alloway, Ayrshire, on January 25, 1759, Burns was surrounded by stories and music from his earliest years. His mother was a singer and storyteller; and John Murdoch introduced him to English literature. Although he tried farming with his brother Gilbert, his passion was always for writing stories, poems and songs.

Burns once wrote, "I never had the least thought or indication of turning poet till I got once healthily in love." His first volume of poetry, "Poems Chiefly in Scottish Dialect," was published in 1786. With that first volume--containing some three dozen poems--he achieved fame, and the second edition was published in 1787.

Some of his most well-known works include: "The Cotter's Saturday Night," "Hallowe'en," "To a Daisy," and "To a Mouse." As seems common with highly articulate artists, Burns managed to come into direct conflict (or disagreement) with the church. Satirical poems like "Holy Willie's Prayer" were controversial; but his lifestyle--drinking and carousing--was also not in line with church teachings. His later work consisted largely of songs, including: "Auld Lang Syne," "Comin' Thro' the Rye," "Scots Wha Hae," "A Red, Red Rose," "The Banks o' Doon," and "John Anderson, My Jo."

He died at the age of 37 from a heart disease. More than 10,000 people are said to have attended his burial; and his popularity has not diminished.