Friday, July 3, 2015

Poet: Robert Burns - Halifax, NS, Canada

Robert Burns
Halifax, NS
Canada


N 44° 38.517 W 063° 34.797



Short Description: 

A monument honoring Scottish poet Robert Burns is located in the north east corner of Victoria Park in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Long Description:

The poet and lyricist Robert Burns was born on January 25, 1759 in Alloway, Scotland. He was mostly home schooled and wrote his first poem when he was fifteen years old. He published his first book, Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, in 1786. The book became an instant success and he became known as the great peasant poet. His interest in preserving the Scottish heritage inspired Burns to spend the last twelve years of his life collecting, editing and creating traditional folk songs for the publication Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs featuring such well known standards as "Auld Lang Syne" and "My Love is Like a Red Red Rose".

The life-size bronze sculpture of Robert Burns created by George A. Lawson was erected by The North British Society in 1919. The statue depicts the poet standing with his arms folder. He is wearing 18th century dress clothing, including a long tailed coat, vest and ascot. The sculpture rests on a 9' high granite base. The base is inscribed with the single word BURNS. Relief sculptures on each face of the base depict scenes from four of his most famous works:

On the base of the Robbie Burns statue are commemorations of the following poems:


Front: The Cotter’s Saturday Night – “From scenes like these old Scotia’s grandeur springs.”


Right: Tam O’Shanter’s Ride – “Ae spring brought off her master hale but left behind her ain grey tail.”



Left: The Jolly Baggers


Back: To a Mountain Daisy – “Wee, modest, crimson-tipped flow’r; Thou’s met me in a evil hour.”

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