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Robert Burns

2008-07-13T19:27:04Z

JamesBC:

A 'Heavenly taught ploughman' <ref>The History Today Who's Who,p 122</ref> the poet and songwriter Robert Burns was born into a farming family at Alloway in Ayrshire on January the 25th 1759. He died in Dumfries at the early age of 37 yet in his short life he took the literary world by storm establishing himself as a poet of "tenderness, roughness — delicacy, coarseness — sentiment, sensuality — dirt and deity"<ref>Lord Byron</ref> Burns is a Scottish cultural icon and his birthday is celebrated each year with supper on Burns Nicht.

His father, William Burnes, was a poor farmer but he recognised the importance of an education and so with help from friends contracted the services of a local teacher, John Murdoch. At an early age, it was apparent to Murdoch that the young Robert showed potential.<ref>Scotland, William Ferguson,p220</ref> Like most farm children though the opportunity for formal education was limited because children had to help on the farm, especially at harvest time. This hard physical work caused Robert Burns to develop the heart condition rheumatic fever which was later to claim his life at an early age.

In 1766 William Burness rented on borrowed money the farm of Mount Oliphant, and in taking his share in the effort to make this undertaking succeed, the future poet seems to have seriously over strained his health. In 1771 Burns went to the neighboring town of Irvine to learn flax-dressing. The only result of this experiment, however, was the formation of an friendship with a dissipated sailor, whom he afterward blamed as the prompter of his first licentious adventures.<ref>Scotland, William Ferguson,p221</ref> His father died in 1784, and with his brother Gilbert the poet rented the farm of Mossgiel; but this venture was as unsuccessful as the others. He had meantime formed an irregular intimacy with Jean Armour, for which he was censured by the Kirk session. As a result of his farming misfortunes, and the attempts of his father-in-law to overthrow his irregular marriage with Jean, he decided to emigrate; and in order to pay for the passage he published ''Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect'' (Kilmarnock, 1786), a volume of the poems which he had been composing from time to time for some years. This volume was hugely successful, so that, instead of sailing for the West Indies, he went up to Edinburgh, and during that winter he was the chief literary celebrity of the season, the toast of the Scottish Enlightenment. An enlarged edition of his poems was published there in 1787, and the money derived from this enabled him to help his brother, and to buy the farm of Ellisland in Dumfriesshire.

Having now regularly married Jean, he brought her to Ellisland, and once more tried farming for three years. Continued ill-fortune, however, led him, in 1791, to abandon Ellisland, and he moved to Dumfries, where he had obtained a position as a tax collector. But he was now thoroughly despondent; his work had become mere drudgery; his tendency to take his relaxation in debauchery increased the weakness of a constitution early undermined; and he died at Dumfries on July the 21st, 1796

Although an able poet in standard English his best work was in his native Scots.<ref>Robert Burns, Selected Poems, C. McGuirk, p9</ref> Poems like "The Twa Dogs" and "The Cotter's Saturday Night," vividly describe the harshness of 18th century Scots rural life but he could also write the most cutting social critique such as in "Holy Willie's Prayer," and "Address to the Unco Guid," whilst "To a Mouse" showed he was capable of great tenderness and fellow feeling. He is considered a pioneer of the Romantic movement and was a great influence on [[William Wordsworth]], [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]], and [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]].<ref>Robert Burns, Selected Poems, C. McGuirk, p14</ref>

==References==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Burns, Robert}}
[[Category:Poets]]
[[Category:Scottish People]]

Cad Goddeu

2008-07-11T16:51:50Z

JamesBC: Redirecting to Câd Goddeu

#REDIRECT [[Câd Goddeu]]

Battle of the Trees

2008-07-11T16:50:33Z

JamesBC: Redirecting to Câd Goddeu

#REDIRECT [[Câd Goddeu]]

Câd Goddeu

2008-07-11T16:41:13Z

JamesBC: New page: The '''''Câd Goddeu''''', or '''''Battle of the Trees''''', is an early Welsh poetic cycle penned by Gwydion ap Gwyn. The poem, written in a mix of heroic couplets and [[t...

The '''''Câd Goddeu''''', or '''''Battle of the Trees''''', is an early [[Welsh]] [[poetic cycle]] penned by [[Gwydion ap Gwyn]]. The poem, written in a mix of [[heroic couplet]]s and [[tetrameter]], tells in a riddling and obtuse way of a war between the [[alder]] and the [[ash]], with the other trees allied on either side. [[Robert Graves]], in his controversial novel ''The White Goddess'', postulates that the alder stands for [[Bran]] or [[Vran]], the Welsh name for the Judeo-Christian [[God]], while the ash stands for [[Odin]] or [[Woden]], the [[Norse]] god of [[thunder]]. Since both gods were associated mythographically with the [[raven]], it makes sense that they should be fighting for dominance.

As a record of the struggle between Judeo-Christian belief and old-world Norse mythology, the ''Câd Goddeu'' stands in the company of such classic poetic works as ''[[Beowulf]]'' and the Norsk Eddas. However, the ''Câd Goddeu'' predates ''Beowulf'' by a good three centuries; it is not written in the stilted Early English language of the bards, but in the far older Welsh, or Cymric, dialect of the Pictish invaders who came to England in the sixth and seventh centuries, and which Graves describes as remnants of the pan-European [[Sea Peoples]].

In modern times, it has been suggested that [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], in the ''The Lord of the Rings'', may have based some of his "Ents" on the characters of the ''Câd Goddeu''. Certainly the name "Treebeard" recalls one of the nicknames of Odin (Woden), and Tolkien is known to have pulled much of his source material from the ''Red Book of Westmarch'', or ''Hergest'', in which the ''Câd Goddeu'' is reprinted.

[[Category:Mythology]]

Lyonesse

2008-07-11T16:37:59Z

JamesBC: categorize

'''Lyonesse''' is a legendary land to the west of [[Cornwall]] in [[England]] jutting out into the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. It was said to have been flooded in around 539 AD, but according to local stories it is still possible to hear its church bells tolling at low tide underwater. Its capitol city was called the City of Lions. This legend has similarities with both the legend of [[Atlantis]], and the legend of [[Avalon]].

[[Category:Arthurian Mythology]]

Modred

2008-07-11T16:35:59Z

JamesBC: Redirecting to Mordred

#REDIRECT [[Mordred]]

Mordred

2008-07-11T16:35:26Z

JamesBC: spelling

'''Mordred''' was the nephew and, in some accounts, the son of [[King Arthur]]. His mother is sometimes given as [[Morgan la Fay]], Arthur's sister, but more often as [[Maeonia]], Morgan's younger sister who was a temple prostitute. His father is often given as Arthur himself, who did not realise that he was having sex with his own sister. Bitterly resentful at this tainted heritage, Mordred planned to overthrow Arthur at the Battle of [[Camlann]], but was killed in battle.

[[Category:Arthurian Mythology]]

Liberal Myth

2008-07-03T16:51:11Z

JamesBC: Redirecting to Liberal Myths

#REDIRECT [[Liberal Myths]]

Liberal myth

2008-07-03T16:50:51Z

JamesBC: Redirecting to Liberal Myths

#REDIRECT [[Liberal Myths]]

Cross

2008-07-03T16:50:03Z

JamesBC: Redirecting to Crucifixion

#REDIRECT [[Crucifixion]]

Agony

2008-07-03T16:49:43Z

JamesBC: New page: The word '''Agony''' refers to a paralyzing or painful experience. The English word is derived from the Greek ''a-'' "without" + ''gon'' "side" (cf. "an ''agony'' of indecision"). In ...

The word '''Agony''' refers to a paralyzing or painful experience. The English word is derived from the [[Greek]] ''a-'' "without" + ''gon'' "side" (cf. "an ''agony'' of indecision").

In [[Christian]] contexts, ''agony'' usually refers to the pain of [[Jesus]] on the [[Cross]], particularly the spear-thrust into his side. Even while Jesus was being taken down from the cross, his agony would have been excruciating.

Modern medicine has developed painkilling [[drug]]s which are effective against agony, so that it is rarely seen in Western countries today.

==See also==
*[[Ecstasy]]

Numa Pompilius

2008-07-01T16:59:34Z

JamesBC: category Ancient Rome

'''Numa Pompilius''' was the semi-legendary first monarch of ancient [[Rome]]. He reigned under the name ''Numa'', or "[[lion]]"; the ''Pompilius'' epithet (meaning "Numa the pompous") was a scholastic addition by the [[historiographer]] Marius.

Numa was the founder of the Saline [[priest]]hood, or ''Salii''. This order of [[pagan]] Roman priests took part each year in the Festival of the Salii, in which the priests had to dance and leap from table to table. For this reason they were selected to be strong and lithe men (Nativus: "''viri sa pleci dar Numa''").

Numa supposedly died in 673 [[BC]].

[[Category:Ancient Rome]]

Numa Pompilius

2008-07-01T16:58:44Z

JamesBC: New page: '''Numa Pompilius''' was the semi-legendary first monarch of ancient Rome. He reigned under the name ''Numa'', or "lion"; the ''Pompilius'' epithet (meaning "Numa the pompous") was...

User:JamesBC

2008-06-14T19:50:27Z

JamesBC: New page: User:JamesBC is proud to be an American. I hope to expand Conservapedia's coverage of the anceint world, especially early Christianity. (By the way, "BC" stands for my ini...

[[User:JamesBC]] is proud to be an [[American]]. I hope to expand [[Conservapedia]]'s coverage of the anceint world, especially early [[Christianity]].

(By the way, "BC" stands for my initials, not [[Before Christ]]!)