Scotland Today

I have been reading a lot of Robert Burns’ poetry lately. He was definitely a romantic and a lover of the ladies. This poem is one of his most romantic poems and is perfect for Valentine’s Day.

My Luve is Like A Red, Red Rose

O my Luve’s like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June:
O my Luve’s like the melodie,
That’s sweetly play’d in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare-thee-weel, my only Luve!
And fare-thee-weel, a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho’ ’twere ten thousand mile!

January 25, 2009 is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns. Burns is truly Scotland’s national poet. His poems are still widely read and enjoyed the world over.

He was born on January 25, 1759 in Alloway, Ayrshire, to William Burness and Agnes Broun. Burns was mainly home schooled by his father but briefly attended schools in the area. When he  did attend school it was in the summer so that he could help out on the family farm the rest of the time.

Robert Burns is known to have fathered at least 12 children with four different women; his first was a daughter with the family maid who was born in 1785.  In 1786, he and Jean Armour had twins;  they were married the following year. They had 9 children in all, with only 3 surviving to adulthood.

Robert Burns’ poems were first published in 1786 in Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect. Burns was a fan of Scottish songs and many of his poems were later rewritten as songs. Among Burns’ most famous poems are To a Mouse, Address to a Haggis, Tam O’Shanter and Is There for Honest Poverty.

Robert Burns died on July 25, 1796, on the same day that his son Maxwell was born.

Muriel Spark was born Muriel Sarah Camberg on February 1, 1918. In 1937 she married Sidney Oswald Spark and moved to Rhodesia, they had a son Robin. In 1940, Spark left her husband and son and returned to Great Britain.

In 1947, Spark became the editor of the Poetry review. Her first novel, The Comforters, was published in 1957. Her most successful work was The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie which was published in 1961; it went on to be a very popular film in the late 60s. Her last novel was The Finishing School, published in 2004.

Muriel Spark died on April 13, 2006.

Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on November 13, 1850. Stevenson did earn a law degree but never practiced law. He preferred to travel and write instead. In 1880, Stevenson married Fanny Osbourne. He treated her son Lloyd as his own. In 1877, Stevenson’s first short story, A Lodging for the Night was published in the collection New Arabian Nights. In 1883, Treasure Island was published and was his first success. His other well known works, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Kidnapped were published in 1886. His last work, St. Ives: being the Adventures of a French Prisoner in England was unfinished at the time of his death.

Stevenson died on December 3, 1894 in Samoa. He died of lung disease which he had suffered from through most of his life.

Sir Walter Scott was born on August 15, 1771 in Edinburgh Scotland. He is merited for inventing the historical novel. In 1773, Scott suffered from polio which left him with a permanent limp. He attended Edinburgh University for three years but had to leave due to the health issues that plagued him for his entire life.

In 1792 he became a lawyer after much pressure from his father. His first poems were published in 1796, including The Chase and William and Helen. The next year, Scott married Charlotte Carpentier; they had two daughters and a son. By 1809, Scott was a half owner in Ballantyne’s, the publishing company. Unfortunately, it failed and was bought out by Constable. Constable, which had become his publisher, also failed in 1826 causing him many money problems.

Scott and his family moved into Abbotsford in 1812. Two years later, his first novel, Waverly, was published anonymously. It became one of the most popular books in Great Britain. Scott became quite a prolific writer of novels and published at least one a year from 1816-1829. In 1818, Walter Scott became a baron. He died at his home in Abbotsford on September 21, 1832.

The Edinburgh Zoo is offering unique Christmas gifts this year. You can adopt a number of wild and endangered animals. It doesn’t have to be a penguin, it can be a polar bear, or a dove, or an iguana. Whatever you like.

Adoption will provide food and upkeep of the animal at the Edinburgh Zoo; it will also help various conservation projects funded by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

The price of adopting your wild animal  begins at £40 and includes a package containing a certificate and a fact sheet about the animal.  Adopters will also receive invitations to special events at the Edinburgh Zoo. If you do want to adopt an animal this Christmas, for yourself or as a gift, the deadline is December 5th.