Poems
Robert Burns Poems
I suppose everyone has certain moments in their lives when an occurrence makes such an impact that even decades later it can be recalled with crystal clarity. The first time I ever heard Robert Burn’s poetry read is one of those moments for me.
I was in my first year in high school, sitting at a wooden desk in a classroom on the second floor, facing windows that were open, allowing in a Tennessee autumn breeze. I have long forgotten my English teacher’s name, a sweet young woman in her second year of teaching, but I will always remember her picking up a tartan bound book, sitting on the edge of her massive oak desk and reading “To A Mouse, On Turning Up Her Nest With the Plough.”
I did not want her to stop reading. I sat through the analysis of the poem, what the poet was trying to say, how this related to each of our lives, coping with sudden changes in life…. I didn’t care, I just wanted her to continue the wonderful music of his poems.
That evening I implored my Mother to take me to a store to obtain a book of his poetry. My sweet Mother, she would have spent hours searching if it would further my education, but luckily we found a small paperback copy right away. The tartan printed cover was easy to spot on the shelf, and I went home and read it cover to cover. I still have that slim volume more than forty years later, a treasured possession.
If you are a Rabbie Burns fan then you know how I felt; if you aren’t familiar with his works then read on…don’t let the dialect stop you, go slow and you will know what he is saying even if all the words aren’t immediately recognizable. Rabbie speaks to all, for all, and for all time; listen with your heart and you too will know pleasure I felt that afternoon so long ago.Robert Burns Poetry
