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Guid 2838126S
Final Essay
5) What are the key characteristics of Burns’s most enduring song
lyrics? Discuss with reference to AT LEAST THREE of Burns’s songs.

The Burns’ Farewells

1. Robert Burns was always a moving target, leaving places and people, without
forgetting of course his intentions to leave Scotland for Jamaica. “The eternal
gesture of the farewell” (Dunningan, 2009, 22) was a persistent concept in his life
and in his songs and poetry. And not only on Burns. In his time, Scots started a
trend of leaving their country to live and work abroad. Some were in search of a
better life; others were forced to leave. The 18th century was a main moment of
this trend and today Scotland is one of those countries with more citizens outside
its national territory than inside it. So, ‘farewell’ is really a word and a concept
strongly present in Scottish life and culture, not only limited to the physical
farewell to a place and its people.

This essay is focused on the concept of ‘farewell’ in Burns’ songs and poetry
and intends to analyze it. We have selected his songs and poems where the word
appears, namely:

‘The Braes o' Ballochmyle’ (1785)

‘The Farewell. To the Brethren of St James's Lodge, Tarbolton’ (1786)
‘The Farewell’ (1786)
‘Farewell to Eliza’ (1786)
‘Farewell to the Banks of Ayr’ (1786)
‘Lines To Mr. John Kennedy’ (1786)
‘My Highland Lassie O’ (1786)
‘McPherson's Farewell’ (1788)
‘My Heart's in The Highlands’ (1789)
To Terraughty, on his birthday (1791)
‘Ae Fond Kiss’ (1791)
‘Such A Parcel of Rogues In A Nation’ (1791)
'Orananoig, or, The song of death' (1791)
‘Farewell Thou Stream’ (1794)
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As we can see, it is present across Burns’ work but of course, 1786 is the main
year of Burns’ farewells. Probably it was the most critical year in his life. Living in
disarray, his farm was going from bad to worse; he had Betty, a child from his
maid, Jean Armour was pregnant with twins who would be born in September,
and Mary Campbell was also to become pregnant and would die in October. Burns
was offered a position as a ‘book-keeper’ by Ayrshire landowner Dr. Patrick
Douglas, whose family-owned Ayr Mount near Port Antonio in Portland on the
north-eastern coast of Jamaica. So, his proposed departure to the West Indies,
“with foreboding anguish, thro' his soul”, captured much of his poetic creation
and ‘farewell’ was its greatest expression. Burns’ letters are also full of this:

“… and now for a grand cure, the Ship is on her way home that is to
take me out to Jamaica, and then, farewell dear old Scotland, and
farewell dear, ungrateful Jean, for never, never will I see you more!”
(to David Brice, 12th June, 1786)

“I am now fixed to go for the west Indies in October.” (to David Brice,
17th July, 1786)

“My hour is now come. – You and I will never meet in Britain more.”
(to John Richmond, 30th July, 1786)

“Farewell Dr Friend! May Guid-luck hit you,

And ‘mang her favorites admit you!
If e’er Detraction shore to smit you,
May nane believe him!
And only deil that thinks to get you,
Good Lord deceive him!!!” (to John Kennedy, 10th August, 1786)

“It is perhaps the last mark of our friendship you can receive from me
on this side of the Atlantic. – Farewell! May you be happy up to the
wishes of parting Friendship!” (to Thomas Campbell, 19th August,
1786)
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“The hurry of my preparation for going abroad, has hindered me from

performing my promise so soon as I intended.” (to Mrs. Stewart of
Stair, September, 1786)

Even the main intention of that year’s edition of Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish
Dialect, the Kilmarnock one, was to fund his own passage to Jamaica. Had he gone
he would probably be “a victim to that inhospitable clime, and gone to the world
of spirits” (letter to Dr. John Moore, 2nd August 1787) like most of the Scots who
traveled to the Caribbean (Mullen, 2022). But events took an unexpected turn, as
we know it. He could scrap his planned emigration; however, ‘farewell’ remained
an important Burns reference.
In 1791, the next year to ‘Tam o’ Shanter’, the ‘farewell’ returned stronger
again. Burns moved to Dumfries and a feeling that “our race of existence is run”
emerged. More and more detached from Edinburgh, from Clarinda, and even
from farming, death appears in his mind mixed with the sense of his own
country’s disruption. Now the going away is not for distant shores across the
raging sea, but for something more terrifying and unknown. Yet “no terrors hast
thou to the Brave” and even the most terrifying scene (like the haunted one on
the Auld Kirk) could have its dose of party and fun. Now the end is likely to come
soon:
“It will be no very pleasing news to you to be told that I am dangerously
ill, & not likely to get better.” (Letter to his brother Gilbert, 10th July,
1796)

It was the moment for the Great Farewell! “O what is death but parting
breath?”
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2. ‘Farewell’s Visual Thesaurus (figures 1,2, and 3;

www.visualthesaurus.com/app/view) helps us to identify some components of
this word/concept:

Figure 1 Figure 2

Figure 3

And these are the selected topics of this Robert Burns’ Farewells analysis:

‘farewell’ from where

to where
whom
from whom
from what
why
feelings

Table 1 shows these topics in those songs and poems:

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Table 1 - Robert Burns Farewells songs and poems’ analysis

These are the collocation analysis of Burns’ farewells, in alphabetical order.

We have selected five significant words (excluding prepositions) before and after
the word ‘farewell’. It helps us to identify and understand the relational meaning
of the word used by the Poet:
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Table 2 - Robert Burns Farewells songs and poems’ collocation analysis

adore Bess burs ng dungeons forests highest luck our (2) sever (2) thee (2) wintry
alas best bushy echoes friend Highland maid past shall them with (2)
all birdie charm e'enings friends Highlands ( ) mar al peace sigh then ( ) wood
am birkie claim Eliza (2) friendships hills (2) may plain smile thine (2) woods
ananas birth place Coila fair funny I( ) McPherson's plains snow thou ( ) worth
ancient bleak country fairest gay Jean merits pouring soul throe wretch
around bless dales fam'd glen ustly mother pray'r St. James es wrung
auld blessing dark fame glory kiss (2) Mountains pursuing straths torrents wrung
avenged blow! day far go lands my (11) rang stream unhappy you
ay bonie dear ( ) far awa'. green (2) lassie name rashy strong vallies
Ayr ( ) bonnie (2) dearest rst guid leave near rending sun valour
Ballochmyle (2) braes declare oods had light ne'er rich sunshine we (2)
banks ( ) brethen deep (2) oweret hanging Lord North, roves sweet where
be ( ) bright depart ows heart ( ) loud not sae ( ) Tarbolton wherever
been broad des nie foes hearted Love now sco a tear whose
below broken divide fond (2) her Loves (2) old (2) Sco sh (2) tears wild (2)
bere brother domains for ever ( ) high cover'd Low other se ng tender winding

3. Burns’ Farewells originated mainly from the native land, the places, and the
country where the Poet comes from, as he is the main protagonist of them. The
land is part of himself, his own nature and expression. His heart is there. But as
Virgil’s shepherd Meliboeus (Leask, 2010, 79), he was forced to leave his place
and travel into something uncertain, and dark. Banished from the Garden of Eden,
condemn'd by fate, misery, or broken love to drag a hopeless chain.
‘To Terraughty, on his birthday’ and ‘Lines To Mr. John Kennedy’ are
exceptions. In all the others, there is no happiness in these farewells. Always a
point of misery festering in his heart, a melting heart, and brimful eye. What
bursting anguish tears his heart, the bursting tears his heart declares! Only pain,
sadness, and misfortune.
The journey is also dark, dark despair across a boundless ocean's roar, the
raging sea, the stormy wave, where many a danger I must dare. Death, like in
McPherson's case, seems more pleasant than that journey.
To aggravate this path there’s little or no hope in it. Misfortune stares at his
face, and points to ruin and disgrace: for me nae mair shall birdie charm, or
floweret smile. What was lost is worth more than what could be achieved, far
dearer than the torrid plains, where rich ananas blow!
Only love and friendship can feed his soul. The memory of them: I'll mind you
still, tho' far awa'; strong mem'ry on my heart shall write those happy scenes
when far awa'! Yes, his heart is the vault where his only wealth persists, where he
keeps that latest sigh. But boundless oceans, roaring wide, between his Love and
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him, they never, never can divide his heart and soul from her. Round his heart the
ties are bound. While his crimson currents flow, he will love his Highland Lassie,
O. After all, there’s was always hope that someone kindly minds him, and drinks
one round to him, the Bard, that's far awa'.
His heart's with his love and with the Highlands, wherever he goes. Wherever
he wanders, wherever he roves, the hills of the Highlands for ever he loves. Love
but them and love but her, and love for ever. Here is Robert Burns, the pioneer of
romanticism. Nature, loved ones and his country are merged into one. The Poet
is the center of this solar system.
However, it seems that the country’s path is quite like his own. With all its
glory, bravery, and proud honor, Scotia is infested by a parcel of rogues bought
and sold for English gold. Our race of existence is run. The disarray is not his alone.
Poet and country are linked.
In this Poet, there is plenty of fond love of nature, humans, and his country,
but always surrounded by despair. He is a desperate believer. Life is not, his life
was not a golden path to happiness.

References
Alker, S., Davis, L., and Nelson, H. F. (eds.) (2012), Robert Burns and Transatlantic
Culture. Farnham, Surrey, Ashgate Publishing.
Carruthers, G. (2006). Robert Burns. Horndon, Tavistock, Devon, Northcote House
Publishers.
Carruthers, G. (ed.) (2009). Edinburgh Companion to Robert Burns. Edinburgh,
Edinburgh University Press.
Carswell, C. (1930). Life of Robert Burns. London, Chatto & Windus.
De Lancey Ferguson, J., and Ross Roy, G. (eds) (1985). The Letters of Robert Burns,
Vol. 1: 1780–1789, Second Edition. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Dunningan, S. (2009). “Burns and women”. In Carruthers, G. (ed.) (2009), 20-33.
Gilfillan, G. (ed.) (c. 1879-80). The National Burns - The Life of Robert Burns;
Including The Airs of all the Songs and an Original Life of Burns. Glasgow,
William Mackenzie.
Jeffries, L. (2022). The Language of Contemporary Poetry: A Framework for Poetic
Analysis. Cham, Switzerland, Palgrave Macmillan.
Kinsley, J. (ed.) (1968). The Poems and Songs of Robert Burns, Volumes 1, 2, and
3: Text. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Leask, N. (2010). Robert Burns and Pastoral: Poetry and Improvement in Late
Eighteenth-Century Scotland. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
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McCue, K. (ed.) (2021). The Oxford Edition of The Works of Robert Burns, Vol. 4:
Robert Burns’s Songs for George Thomson. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
McGuirk, C. (2014). Reading Robert Burns. Texts, Contexts, Transformations.
London, Routledge.
Mullen, S. (2022). The Glasgow Sugar Aristocracy: Scotland and Caribbean
Slavery, 1775-1838. London, University of London Press, New Historical
Perspectives.
Wilkie, G. S. (2004). Robert Burns, The Lassies. Glasgow, Neil Wilson Publishing.