The Poetical Works of Robert Burns (with Notes, Glossary, Index of First Lines and Chronological List), 1912
Gift of Janet Tratt, 2024
This 1912 issue of Burns' poetry belonged to Raymond R. Smith, who lived in Kings County, Nova Scotia. It was donated to the Society by his granddaughter, Janet Tratt, who was a drummer in the Society Pipe Band. Raymond Smith enlisted as a Private with the 4th Canadian Pioneer Battalion in 1916, volunteering his skills as a lumberman for the First World War.
Robert Burns is highly regarded as Scotland's national poet. He wrote primarily in "Scots," a language often referred to as a dialect of English. Celebrated for his ability to chronicle the everyday life of working people, Burns has long been revered as the people’s poet. 'Rabbie' Burns first published his poetry in 1786, with a collection entitled "Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect" that highlighted his deliberate use of the Scots language. His use of Scots helped to revitalize the language and made it accessible to a broader audience, solidifying its land standing place in Scottish cultural identity.
Burns’ poems describe a wide range of human experiences, illustrating the agricultural, social, and political conditions of his times. Such universal conditions continue to ring true in modern society. For example, Burn’s legendary ode to equality, “A Man’s A Man for A’ That,” endorses equality in a nation and speaks out against social injustices; it is as relevant today as in Burns’ time:
Ye see yon birkie, ca’d a lord,
Wha struts, an’ stares, an’ a’ that;
Tho’ hundreds worship at his word,
He’s but a coof for a’ that.
[English translation]
You see that fellow called a lord,
Who struts, and stares, and all that?
Though hundreds worship at his word,
He is but a fool for all that.
The Fredericton Society of Saint Andrew, in partnership with the Fredericton Society of Saint Andrew Pipe Band, continue to celebrate Robert Burns' life and times every year, with Burns Night and Fredericton's Kilted Skate in Officers' Square. Similar celebrations take place all over the world, in honour Robert Burns' birthday (January 25).