The Life of Robert Burns: With a Criticism on His Writings ...William and Robert Chambers, 1838 - 76 pages |
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Page 19
... excelled in dancing , and was for some time distractedly fond of it . " Mrs Burns was a great favourite of her father's . The intimation of a marriage was the first suggestion he re- ceived of her real situation . He was in the greatest ...
... excelled in dancing , and was for some time distractedly fond of it . " Mrs Burns was a great favourite of her father's . The intimation of a marriage was the first suggestion he re- ceived of her real situation . He was in the greatest ...
Page 24
... excelled all his competitors . Gilbert Burns declares , that in mowing , the exercise that tries all the muscles most severely , Robert was the only man that , at the end of a summer's day , he was ever obliged to acknow- ledge as his ...
... excelled all his competitors . Gilbert Burns declares , that in mowing , the exercise that tries all the muscles most severely , Robert was the only man that , at the end of a summer's day , he was ever obliged to acknow- ledge as his ...
Page 30
... excelled . To the lady her- be a wretch indeed , who , regardless of your harmonious self his name had , perhaps , never been mentioned , and endeavours to please him , can eye your elusive flights of such a poem she might not consider ...
... excelled . To the lady her- be a wretch indeed , who , regardless of your harmonious self his name had , perhaps , never been mentioned , and endeavours to please him , can eye your elusive flights of such a poem she might not consider ...
Page 46
... excelled ; or with a white sheet , containing his seed - corn , slung across his shoulders , striding with measured steps along his turned- up furrows , and scattering the grain in the earth . But his farm no longer occupied the ...
... excelled ; or with a white sheet , containing his seed - corn , slung across his shoulders , striding with measured steps along his turned- up furrows , and scattering the grain in the earth . But his farm no longer occupied the ...
Page 54
... excelled the rest of their species in understanding as well as in imagination ; that they were pre - eminent in the highest species of know- ledge - the knowledge of the nature and character of man ? On the other hand , the talent of ...
... excelled the rest of their species in understanding as well as in imagination ; that they were pre - eminent in the highest species of know- ledge - the knowledge of the nature and character of man ? On the other hand , the talent of ...
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Common terms and phrases
acquaintance affections afterwards Allan Ramsay appears attention Ayrshire bard beautiful Blane Blind Harry brother Burns's character charms circumstances club composition conversation delicacy dialect Dr Currie Dumfries Dumfriesshire Edinburgh Ellisland English excelled farm father favour favourite feelings formed friendship genius Gilbert Burns give habits happiness heart Highland honour house of Stuart humble humour imagination interest Jean Jedburgh Jenny Geddes Kilmarnock kind Kirkoswald labour lady language letter lived manners marriage Mauchline Maybole melancholy ment mentioned mind Mossgiel Murdoch muse native nature never Nicol night observation occasion parish passion peasantry perhaps person pleasure poems poet poet's poetical poetry powers present racter Ramsay received recollect remarks respect Robert Burns rural rustic scenery scenes Scotland Scottish songs seemed sensibility sentiments Shanter sion situation society spirit superior talents Tarbolton taste tenderness thought tion verses virtue William Burnes writing young
Popular passages
Page 31 - O Mary ! dear departed shade ! Where is thy place of blissful rest? Seest thou thy lover lowly laid ? Hear'st thou the groans that rend his breast...
Page 58 - When youthful Love, warm-blu.shing strong, Keen-shivering shot thy nerves along, Those accents, grateful to thy tongue, Th' adored Name, I taught thee how to pour in song, To soothe thy flame "I saw thy pulse's maddening play, Wild send thee Pleasure's devious way. Misled by Fancy's meteor ray, By Passion driven; But yet the light that led astray, Was light from Heaven.
Page 35 - I never saw such another eye in a human head, though I have seen the most distinguished men of my time. His conversation expressed perfect self-confidence, without the slightest presumption. Among the men who were the most learned of their time and country, he expressed himself with perfect firmness, but without the least intrusive forwardness; and when he differed in opinion, he did not hesitate to express it firmly, yet at the same time with modesty.
Page 31 - Thou ling'ring star, with less'ning ray, That lov'st to greet the early morn, Again thou usher'st in the day My Mary from my soul was torn. O Mary! dear departed shade! Where is thy place of blissful rest? Seest thou thy lover lowly laid? Hear'st thou the groans that rend his breast?
Page 20 - Then kneeling down to Heaven's Eternal King, The saint, the father, and the husband prays; Hope 'springs exulting on triumphant wing,' That thus they all shall meet in future days, There ever bask in uncreated rays, No more to sigh or shed the bitter tear, Together hymning their Creator's praise, In such society, yet still more dear, While circling Time moves round...
Page 35 - Edinburgh, but had sense and feeling enough to be much interested in his poetry, and would have given the world to know him : but I had very little acquaintance with any literary people, and still less with the gentry of the west country, the two sets that he most frequented. Mr. Thomas Grierson was at that time a clerk of my father's. He knew Burns, and promised to ask him to his lodgings to dinner, but had no opportunity to keep his word ; otherwise I might have seen more of this distinguished...
Page 20 - The priest-like father reads the sacred page, How Abram was the friend of God on high ; Or, Moses bade eternal warfare wage With Amalek's ungracious progeny ; Or how the royal bard did groaning lie Beneath the stroke of Heaven's avenging ire ; Or Job's pathetic plaint and wailing cry ; Or rapt Isaiah's wild, seraphic fire ; Or other holy seers that tune the sacred lyre.
Page 13 - I loved her. Indeed, I did not know myself why I liked so much to loiter behind with her, when returning in the evening from our labours ; why the tones of her voice made my heart-strings thrill like an /Eolian harp ; and particularly why my pulse beat such a furious rattan when I looked and fingered over her little hand, to pick out the cruel nettlestings and thistles. Among her other love-inspiring qualities, she sung sweetly ; and it was her favourite reel to which I attempted giving an embodied...
Page 15 - This sum came very seasonably, as I was thinking of indenting myself, for want of money to procure my passage. As soon as I was master of nine guineas, the price of wafting me to the torrid zone, I took a steerage passage in the first ship that was to sail from the Clyde, for " Hungry ruin had me in the wind.
Page 13 - Meditations, had formed the whole of my reading. The collection of songs was my vade mecum. I pored over them driving my cart, or walking to labour, song by song, verse by verse ; carefully noting the true tender, or sublime, from affectation and fustian. I am convinced I owe to this practice much of my critic craft, such as it is.