Poems and Songs of Robert Burns [Kindle Edition]

Robert Burns (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up-Scottish actor John Cairney gives voice to 20 of the poet's works, some standards and others slightly more obscure. Cairney portrayed Burns in a solo stage show from 1965 to 1981. He not only performs on this cassette, but also selected and arranged the poems and musical elements. Lilting tunes often introduce a piece, and the familiar melody of "Auld Lang Syne" plays throughout that reading. "Tam o'Shanter," "To a Mouse," "To a Louse," and "A Red, Red Rose" are here, as well as the less well known "Mary Morison," "Of a' the Airts," and "The Banks of Doon." Language arts instructors who teach Burns and want to convey a sense of what he intended will especially appreciate this collection and Cairney's performance. The dramatic and occasional special effects will help to capture students' imaginations. The romantic pieces provide a leisurely pace for neophytes to familiarize themselves with the accent.
Diana Dickerson, White Pigeon Community Schools, MI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Despite the package's claims that this is the perfect introduction to Burns's work, listeners might well find themselves playing the tape twice, once for the music, the second time to try to pick out the words. Ideally, they would hear the tape while looking at the poems on the page, but the producer did not choose to include the text. Actor John Cairney, who has been performing Burns's poems since 1959, does a more than credible reading, but unfortunately being enthusiastic about the recording and true to the 18th-century Scottish dialect does little to enhance the American listener's appreciation. The 20 poems presented here include longer works, such as "The Cotter's Saturday Night" and "Tam O'Shanter," along with "Holy Willie's Prayer," "Epistle to a Young Friend," "A Red, Red Rose," and "Auld Lang Syne." With longer poems, it's difficult to tell when the selection ends, while shorter poems run into one another. This is currently the only tape of Burns's work available, so interested fans will have to make do. Rochelle Ratner, formerly with "Soho Weekly News," NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 465 KB
• Print Length: 404 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Public Domain Books (January 25, 2005)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000JMLC1A
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,185 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
  • #10 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Social Sciences

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Robert Burn's poems in the interesting Scots dialect, February 6, 2011

By 

Ulfilas (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poems and Songs of Robert Burns (Paperback)

Many years ago, a friend with grandparents from Scotland gave me this book as a high school graduation gift. The poems of Robert Burns, the best loved of Scotland's poets, are written in the Scots dialect, which differs significantly from Standard English. My friend's grandmother once made the observation that many of the words unique to the Scots dialect strongly resembled their German counterparts. At the time I doubted her analysis, imagining that the different Scots vocabulary was due to the influence of Scottish Gaelic. After having studied a number of ancient Germanic languages many years later, however, I came to realize that my friend's grandmother was essentially correct. A study of the Scots dialect reveals more words from Old English and Old Norse (both ancient Germanic languages) than found in Standard American or British English, while the contribution of Gaelic is insignificant. Indeed in the Scots expression "it gar me greet" (it makes me cry) both "gar" and "greet" are of Old Norse origin. The Norse word "gera" corresponds to "make" and "grata" to "cry or weep" as can be confirmed by reference to the glossary of the Old Norse textbook An Introduction to Old Norse, the modern Icelandic dictionary Ensk- Islenzk Ordabok/English-Icelandic Dictionary, or equivalent online dictionaries. Nevertheless, the Lowland Scots dialect is not so different from American English as to present a challenge to the literate reader. The version of this book that I own (of the same exact title as this edition) is complete with a glossary to define dialect words unfamiliar to the general reader. I hope that this edition also has this useful glossary.

Many poems familiar to the reader can be found in the volume. "Auld Lang Syne" and "Comin' Thro' The Rye" are among the best known. Of particular note are the poems "The Cotter's Saturday Night," a celebration of the common Scottish people and "Tam O'Shanter," a story of a man who happens upon cavorting witches, one of whom is appealingly clad in a "Cutty Sark" (short shirt or chemise like undergarment, or nightgown).

One of the accomplishments of Burns was to compose words for traditional songs or "Airs" that prevented these melodies from being completely forgotten. Burns is also known to have composed a number of songs too bawdy to be widely circulated. My friend's family had apparently known of handwritten copies of such poems that had been hidden away in desk drawers back in Scotland. It was also recalled that decent women got off the street when Burns was in town! Such poems are not included in this volume, at least not in their entirety. To find such poems the interested reader need only consult the web. Joe Covenant's very accessible website includes a few of these poems complete with a glossary. I was particularly amused by the poem entitled "Wa'd Ye Dae That?" (Would You Do That?).

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seems exhaustive,, March 8, 2010

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btb_anon (Silicon Valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Poems and Songs of Robert Burns (Kindle Edition)

and you can easily use search to find the items you want, be them beasties, haggis, or other.

4 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Beloved Scot, November 6, 2007

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BRYSONMACDONALD (P.E.I. CANADA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Poems and Songs of Robert Burns Volume 1 (Paperback)

The essential book on Scotlands most famous and favouritre son in large and easy to read print.