The Poetical Works Of Robert Burns Volume 2 PDF Download

Excerpt from The Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Vol. 1 In these volumes the poetical works of Burns are presented in their due chronological sequence, the pieces following each other according to the dates of their composition - so far as ascertainable - so that the development of the poet's genius may be readily studied in connection with the facts of his life, as given in the biographical memoir contained in the first volume. As will be noticed, the year of the poet's age to which each poem belongs is inserted at the top of the page where the piece occurs. Numerous notes are appended to the author's text, giving the reader a vast amount of useful, and indeed indispensable, information in regard to the origin of the individual poems, and to persons, places, occurrences, local usages, &c., connected with or referred to by Burns. Without such a commentary many references and allusions would not be understood, nor would the several pieces possess anything like the same interest. A certain number of the notes are critical in their character - they may point out special beauties, or may indicate where the poet has been less happy in his efforts. These notes are chiefly selected from writers of eminence who have had Burns for their theme - such as, Scott, Wordsworth, Lockhart, Professor Wilson, Allan Cunnningham, and Carlyle, not to mention others. For the convenience of the reader, and to save him time and trouble, the distinctively Scottish words and expressions, such as occur especially in the best and most characteristic of Burns's poems, have their meanings made clear by marginal explanations accompanying each piece that requires such aid. To those unacquainted with the dialect that Burns often used this must prove a most valuable feature, as it will enable anyone readily to understand the meaning of even the most difficult passages, while the troublesome necessity of consulting a special glossary is entirely avoided. In the margin and opposite each line will be found the necessary interpretation, so that the reader carries the sense along with him as he reads, and only very rarely does a more detailed explanation require to be furnished in a footnote. But it may be pointed out that the difficulty of understanding Burns is apt to be exaggerated, and that many of his poems present few and trifling peculiarities of dialect and others none at all. The Sketch of the Poet's Life has been specially written for this edition. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.