Творческий проект на тему ”Robert Burns: Scottish Legend.”

М У Н  И Ц И П А Л Ь Н О Е   О Б Щ Е О Б Р А З О В А Т Е Л Ь Н О Е   У Ч Р Е Ж Д Е Н И Е

«С Р Е Д Н Я Я   О Б Щ Е О Б Р А З О В А Т Е Л Ь Н А Я   Ш К О Л А   № 61-

О Б Р А З О В А Т Е Л Ь Н Ы Й   К О М П Л Е К С »

Творческий проект

ученицы 9 «А» класса

Рогожиной Виктории

на тему

”Robert Burns:  Scottish Legend.”

Руководитель: учитель английского языка

высшей категории

Козлова Наталия Геннадьевна

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С А Р А Т О В  2 0 1 5

Contents

I .  Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………….с.3

II.   Biography…………………………………………………………………….…………………….….с.3

III.   Robert Burns:  Scottish legend. …………………………………………………………..с.4

IV.   Burns in Russia….……………………………………………………………………………………с.7

V.    Conclusion………………………………………………………........................................с.8

Appendix

Multimedia presentation

References

I .  Introduction

(Traditional Scottish song is played.)

Whenever we speak of Scotland the name of Scottish Bard Robert Burns is always there as the ever-living and never-dying symbol of the country. He was a poet and a lyricist of the 18th century. But nowadays he is still regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best-known of the poets who have ever written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a 'light' Scots dialect, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. Our main question is: Why is he so famous?

II.   Biography

Robert Burns (also Rabbie Burns, Scotland's favourite son, Scotland's national legend, the Ploughman Poet and the Bard of Scotland ) was born on January 25, 1759 two miles south of Ayr, in Alloway, South Ayrshire, Scotland. His father, William Burns, was a poor farmer. There were seven children in the family and Robert was the eldest. Robert spent his early childhood in the house built by his father (now the Burns Cottage Museum), where he lived until Easter in 1766 when the boy was seven years old. Then the father sold the house and the family moved to Alloway.

Robert was sent to school at the age of six, but he attended it in turn with his brother. So young Robert had little regular schooling, and got much of his education from his father who taught his children reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, history and Latin.

Robert was fond of reading. He read whatever he could. His favorite writers were Shakespeare, Smolett and Robert Fergusson, a talented Scottish poet (1750—1774).

Robert's mother had a wonderful voice and knew many Scottish songs and ballads and often sang them to her children. The little boy was highly impressed by it and that gave good food for his imagination and natural talent in future.

Burns began to write poetry when he was fourteen. He composed verses to the melodies of old folk-songs which he had admired from his early childhood.

In April 1786 Robert Burns published his “Poems” in the first volume. The success of the book was great and soon Robert Burns was known across the country. The second edition of "Poems", published in 1787, brought him some slight financial security.

But soon Edinburgh society grew tired of the poet and forgot about  Burns. He left Edinburgh and returned to his native village and married Jean Armour. Burns devoted to Jean many beautiful poems.

Robert Burns' poems were very popular but he always remained poor. He worked a lot and ruined his health. The last years of Burns' life were very hard. He gave up farming and with the help of his friends got a place at an office in Dumfries. In 1795 he fell seriously ill. Ten days before his death he wrote to his cousin: "...a shopkeeper whom I owe a large sum of money took a proceeding against me. All that remains of me — bones and skin — they would surely throw into prison. Can you do me a favour and send me ten pounds? Oh James, if you knew my proud heart you would know how I feel. I am not accustomed to beg. Save me from the terror of prison." Burns died of heart disease in poverty at the age of thirty seven in 1796.

For Scotsmen Robert Burns is a symbol of national pride. Every year on January 25 (on his birthday) Burns Night is celebrated not only in Scotland but throughout Britain and Scottish-speaking world. The celebration is usually held in the form of a supper (called, of course, Burns Supper) at which haggis is served and eaten and during which Scottish pipers play, Burns' poems are recited and there may be Scottish dancing after the meal.

III. Robert Burns:  Scottish legend.

Burns’ real treasure was his poetry. Maybe only due to this Robert Burns is still alive in people’s souls.

He was and he is a poet and a bard. Who is a bard? This word originates deeply to the history of the British Isles. Hundreds years ago Celts - aboriginals and Celts’ ministrels - wandering poets, called ‘bards’, lived in the territory of Britain. They composed verses and sang them. Most of those verses, ‘ballads’ were connected with the well-known real events. 

The ballad is an old form of verse adapted for singing or recitation, originating in the days when most poetry existed in spoken rather than written form. The typical subject of most ballads reflects folk themes important to common people: love, courage, the mysterious and the supernatural. Though the ballad is generally rich in musical qualities such as rhythm and repetition, it often

portrays both ideas and feelings. 
              There is no doubt that ballads sung by Burns’ mother, folk fairy-tales told in his early childhood, close connection to the nature and the example of his hard-working father inspired Burns to become the bard and to create lots of wonderful songs and ballads.  

    Robert Burns was a farmer like his father. At thirteen he was out in the fields all day long helping his father. At fifteen he did most of the work on the farm. Robert studied nature, and following the plough, he whistled and sang. In his songs he spoke of what he saw: of the woods, and the fields, and the valleys, the deer, the skylark, the small field mouse, of the farmer's poor cottage home and the farmer lad's love for his lass.

Robert Burns first began to write at sixteen. His first love song «Handsome Nell» was dedicated to the girl who helped him in the harvest fields. 

O once I lov'd a bonnie lass.

An' aye I love her still,

An' whilst that virtue warms my breast

I'll love my handsome Nell.

As bonnie lasses I hae seen.

And mony full as braw,

But for a modest gracefu' mein

The like I never saw. . .

  When the poet left Edinburgh and started travelling to Scottish and English Borders,  the tour inspired him to write a brilliant poem «Bruce at Bannockburn», which deals with the struggle of Scotland for independence against England.

In 1788 Robert Burns married Jean Armour, his ‘Bonnie Jean’. Her image is immortalized in many beautiful poems and songs written by the poet, such as «I Love My Jean», «It Is Na», «Jean» and many others.  

«I Love My Jean»

Of a' the airts the wind can blaw,

I dearly like the West;

For there the bony Lassie lives,

The Lassie I lo'e best:

There's wild-woods grow, and rivers row,

And mony a hill between;

But day and night my fancy's flight

Is ever wi' my Jean.

I see her in the dewy flowers,

I see her sweet and fair;

I hear her in the tunefu' birds,

I hear her charm the air:

There's not a bony flower that springs

By fountain, shaw, or green;

There's not a bony bird that sings

But minds me o' my Jean.

Robert Burns thought deeply of love. To our mind, the best expression of poet’s vision of this feeling is shown in a famous song 'A Red, Red Rose'. Written in ballad stanzas, the verse - read today as a poem – pieces together conventional ideas and images of love. Burns compares his love to a rose and to a melody, showing us that love is beautiful and precious. Burns also shows us how love is not fleeting; that if it is real love it will not fade no matter how near or far the two people may be from each other. (Let’s listen to the song 'A Red, Red Rose'.)

  And the strongest love had Burns to his country. Te poem and the song «My Heart’s in the Highlands» is about this endless love. I know the poem very well but I’d like you to listen to the song and feel the atmosphere of Burns times. (The song «My Heart’s in the Highlands» is played). Burns loved his country and Scotland “loved her son”. The poet is deeply interested in the glorious past of his country which he calls “the birthplace of valour, the country of worth”. In many of his works Burns sings the beauty of his motherland.

IV. Burns in Russia

The poetry and songs of Robert Burns are famous worldwide and in Russia. Burns is very dear to many of us. Russian people understand his humor, his tender lyricism, his love of freedom and friendship among people. Burns’ poems were translated in Russia by M. Lermontov, I.Kozlov, M.Mikhailov, E. Bagritsky and other poets. R. Burns’ poems inspired Beethoven, Schumahn, Mendelson and other composers who wrote music to them. In Russia the best known cycle of songs to R. Burns’verses was composed by Georgy Sviridov. The tunes to R. Burns’s songs were written by D. Shostakovich, N. Myaskovsky, Alexandrov, Levitin and a number of other Russian composers.

And there is no doubt, that Russian people find almost equal pleasure in reading Robert Burns's poems and songs in the original and in wonderful translations of Samuel Marshak:

O my luve's like a red, red rose.

That's newly sprung in June;

O my luve's like a melodie

That's sweetly play'd in tune. (R.Burns)

Любовь, как роза, роза красная,

Цветет в моем саду.

Любовь моя - как песенка,

С которой в путь иду.  (С.Маршак)

         On the 200-th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns in 1959 Samuel Marshak, whose genius translations of Burns’s verses are known all over the world, wrote a poem to Burns memory:

Find in this boundless land of ours

Your homespun views we cherish.

From Baltic to Pacific shores

Your fame will never perish.

                                          V. Conclusion

To be honest, for a person studying classical British English it is, of course, hard to read many Burns’ words but not impossible. When we studied Burns’ life and poetry we came to understand the main reasons of the poet’s popularity and fame:

• Robert Burns loved his country.
• He was one of common people.
• He had close connection to nature.
• The subjects of Burns’ poetry are clear to any person who loves, lives and thinks.

The conclusion is that we should read such poems and should listen to such songs. We should be close to nature and admire the world around us. It will surely cure us and help us to live.

Appendix

References

Carol McGuirk (ed.), Critical Essays on Robert Burns. New York, 1998 

Catherine Carswell, Life of Robert Burns Canongate Publishing, 1990

Donald Low (ed.), Robert Burns: the critical heritage. London,  1974
Hans Hecht.  Robert Burns: the man and his work .Edinburgh: Hodge, 1936.

J. DeLancey Ferguson, Pride and Passion: Robert Burns (New York: Oxford University Press, 1939
Thomas Crawford, Burns: a study of the poems and songs. Edinburgh, 1960
J.W. Egerer, A Bibliography of Robert Burns. Edinburgh, 1964
Thomas Crawford, Robert Burns and His World.  London, 1971
R.D.S. Jack and Andrew Noble (eds), The Art of Robert Burns. London, 1982
Mary Ellen Brown, Burns and Tradition. London: Macmillan, 1984
Ian McIntyre, Dirt and Deity: a life of Robert Burns. London, 1995
Robert Crawford, The Bard: Robert Burns, a biography. London, 2009
Бёрнс Р. Стихотворения – The Poetical Works. М., 1982

Бёрнс Р. Стихотворения. Поэмы; Шотландские баллады. М., 1976

Райт-Ковалева Р. Роберт Бёрнс. М., 1965