Robert Burns

Robert Burns
Portrait of Burns by Alexander Nasmyth, 1787, Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
Born	(1759-01-25)25 January 1759 Alloway, Ayrshire, Scotland
Died	21 July 1796(1796-07-21) (aged 37) Dumfries, Scotland
Resting place	Burns Mausoleum, Dumfries
Nickname	Rabbie Burns
Occupation	Poet lyricist farmer excise-man
Language	Scots language
Nationality	Scottish
Literary movement	Romanticism
Notable works	"Auld Lang Syne" "To a Mouse" "A Man's a Man for A' That" "Ae Fond Kiss" "Scots Wha Hae" "Tam O'Shanter" "Halloween" "The Battle of Sherramuir"
Notable awards
Military Service
Allegiance	Great Britain
Service / branch	British Volunteer Corps
Years of service	1795–96
Rank	Private
Unit	Dumfries Volunteer Company
Battles / wars	French Revolutionary Wars
Spouse	Jean Armour
Children	12
Parents	William Burnes Agnes Broun
Signature

Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns,^[a] was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is in a "light Scots dialect" of English, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these writings his political or civil commentary is often at its bluntest.

He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement, and after his death he became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism, and a cultural icon in Scotland and among the Scottish diaspora around the world. Celebration of his life and work became almost a national charismatic cult during the 19th and 20th centuries, and his influence has long been strong on Scottish literature. In 2009 he was chosen as the greatest Scot by the Scottish public in a vote run by Scottish television channel STV.

As well as making original compositions, Burns also collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them. His poem (and song) "Auld Lang Syne" is often sung at Hogmanay (the last day of the year), and "Scots Wha Hae" served for a long time as an unofficial national anthem of the country. Other poems and songs of Burns that remain well known across the world today include "A Red, Red Rose", "A Man's a Man for A' That", "To a Louse", "To a Mouse", "The Battle of Sherramuir", "Tam o' Shanter" and "Ae Fond Kiss".

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