The Life of Robert Burns: With a Criticism on His Writings ...William and Robert Chambers, 1838 - 76 pages |
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Page 3
... situations of danger , or tread in the paths of glory . They will not be found in your service , which , in our own days , emulates on another element the superior fame of the Macedonian phalanx , or of the Roman legion , and which has ...
... situations of danger , or tread in the paths of glory . They will not be found in your service , which , in our own days , emulates on another element the superior fame of the Macedonian phalanx , or of the Roman legion , and which has ...
Page 7
... situation of the order to which he belonged The church establishment of Scotland happily coin- -a class of men distinguished by many peculiarities : cides with the institution just mentioned , which may be by this means we shall form a ...
... situation of the order to which he belonged The church establishment of Scotland happily coin- -a class of men distinguished by many peculiarities : cides with the institution just mentioned , which may be by this means we shall form a ...
Page 9
... situation by the same criterion in our own times , would be a delicate and a difficult undertaking . After considering the pro- The origin of this amatory character in the rustic muse of Scotland , or of the greater number of these love ...
... situation by the same criterion in our own times , would be a delicate and a difficult undertaking . After considering the pro- The origin of this amatory character in the rustic muse of Scotland , or of the greater number of these love ...
Page 11
... situations well calculated to call forth and to concentrate the ROBERT BURNS was , as is well known , the son of a farmer in Ayrshire , and afterwards himself a farmer there ; but , having been unsuccessful , he was about to emigrate to ...
... situations well calculated to call forth and to concentrate the ROBERT BURNS was , as is well known , the son of a farmer in Ayrshire , and afterwards himself a farmer there ; but , having been unsuccessful , he was about to emigrate to ...
Page 14
... situation in life . The patron dying just as he was gave him a genteel education , with a view of bettering ready to launch out into the world , the poor fellow in ill fortune , a little before I was acquainted with him , despair went ...
... situation in life . The patron dying just as he was gave him a genteel education , with a view of bettering ready to launch out into the world , the poor fellow in ill fortune , a little before I was acquainted with him , despair went ...
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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.