Robot Burns’ Humanist idea in Romantic Literature
In the 19 th
century, the industry got highly developed in European countries like British, France. As the French Revolution broke out, many intellects saw the other side of the corrupt and polluted society. Accordingly, they tended to find a new way to live, to preserve to their inner world. In this case, it’s easy for them to turn to the nature and to childlike innocence.
Romanticism was a movement in literature, philosophy, music and art, which developed in Europe in the late 18 th
and early 19 th
centuries. Starting from the ideas of Rousseau in France and from the Storm and Stress movement in Germany, it held that classicism, dominant since the 16 th
century, failed to express man’s emotional nature and overlooked his profound inner forces. Romanticism emphasized individual values and aspirations above those of society. As a reaction to the industrial revolution, it looked to Middle Ages and to direct contact with nature for inspiration. It gave impetus to the national liberation movement in 19 th
century Europe. In romanticism, the rational and empirical approaches to truth and justice were doubted by the intellects. View point was shifted from the universal to the individual, from the society to the personal and from the conformist to creative and the adventurous in all spheres of human endeavor. In romantic literature, poets and novelists put humanism into high light, which accordingly made them humanists. The leading romantic writers were William Blake, Burns, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Scott, Byron, Shelley and Keats in England. All their works gave vivid picture of man’s eager search for individual freedom, pure sentiments and ideal beauty.
Of those romantic writers, Robert Burns was no doubt a successful poet. Together with William Blake, Robert was the pioneers of English romantic literature poets. After their works published, the romantic ideas got wonderfully spread. And this made romanticism in England a prevailing thought current.
What’s more, Robert Burns was a brilliant romantic pioneer as well as a humanist. Burns was born to a poor Scottish family in 1759, and died in 1796. His works are majorly sorted into three themes: political, satirical, and love, all of which pour light on the life of the laboring people and peasants. His works included: A Red, Red Rose, To Muse, My Heart’s in the Highland, Auld Land Syne and so on Accordingly, he became a poet crying for his people, his country and even the human, which makes him a humanist pioneer.
He wore a word-wide fame as a patriotic poet and wrote poems for his Scottish people. For example, in his famous poem, “A Red, Red Rose”, his keen love for his country and people was poured out like a river before the public.
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 played in tune.
And fare thee weel, my only luve, And fare thee weel a while; And I will come again, my luve, Tho’ it were ten thousand mile. In this piece of poem, the love and friendship were highly depicted. What’s more, poet’s own emotion with vividness and simplicity were also described. It even appeals directly to the reader’s heart. Therefore, the poem carries with it a new spirit of romanticism. However, Robert’s humanism also showed up in his poems. And more and more important was his emphases on men’s sufferings and the ruler’s heavy suppress on the common people. In his poem, Auld Land Syne, his strong humanistic ideals got a full express. Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to min’? Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days O’lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll tak a cup o’kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
We twa has paidled I’the burn,
From morning sun till dine, But seas between us braid hea roared,
Sin’ auld lang syne. And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere,
And gie’s a hand o’thine; And we’ll tak a right gude-willie waught,
For auld lang syne. And surely he’ll be your pint-stowp,
And surely I’ll be mine; And we’ll tak a cup d’kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
Many experts agreed that Robert is atypical patriotic poet for Scott. Meanwhile, he is more a humanist than a patriot, because he didn’t only cry for the sufferance of the Scottish peasants but also the common people in the industrious society. As a romantic poet, Burns was good at depicting personal true feelings such as love and friendship as well as the yearning for the life. In this poem, again, the friendship and love between friends were keenly presented. In this case, he tended to appeal that under that corrupt and polluted circumstance people should listen to their hearts or the words from their inner world. As a living animal, people should observe their instincts.
As a poet in the romantic era, Robert centered on the laboring people and their sentiments as well as the nature feeling of people. Just like three categories we have made, his works all took aspiration from the lives of the people in the bottom of the society. He was a server of his people and the human.
In this case, people have to understand Robert’s humanist thoughts in order to understand his poem.