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Robert Burns

Robert Burns image
Parent Issue
Day
18
Month
August
Year
1897
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Robert Burns, the Scottish poet, was born at Mount Oliphant, Jan. 25, 1759, near Ayr, in a clay built cottage, rearcd by his father's own hands. Wheu a lad of 18, the famiJy moved to Lochlea. His first three or four yeara at Lochlea were still with the poet times of innocence, and "his conduct was governed by the strictest rules of virtue and modesty. " At last he set his allections on a yoting woman named Ellisou Begbie, the daughter of a small farmer, and asked her to be his wife, but he could not prevail on her to marry him, and thisdisappointment had a malign influence over the poet. Long afterward, when he had seeu much of the world, Burns spoke of tuis girl as, of all those on whom he ever flxed his fickle tious, the one most likely to have made a pleasaut partner for life. It was to her he addressed the pure and beautif ui love lyric "Mary Morison," and in these unes the lyric genius of Burns was for the first time undeniably revealed: Yestreenwhen to the trembling string The dance gaed through the lighted ha', To thee niy fancy took its wing. I sat, but neither heard nor saw, ThouKli this was fair and that was braw And yon the toast of a' the town. I si.'hed and said amang them a', "Ye are nae Mary Morison." Oh, Mary, canst thou wreek his peaee Wha for thy sake wonld gladly doe ? Or canst thou break that heart of hla . Wliase only fault is loving thee ? If love for love thou wilt not gie, At least be pity to me shown. A thought ungentle caima be The thought of Mary Morison.

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Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Courier