Let's Help Her Rise! Honouring Women with an Immortal Memory Tribute to Burns

This year I was privileged to be asked to give the Immortal Memory remarks in tribute to Robert Burns. The honour affords the speaker a certain latitude to address the memory and contributions of the Scottish bard as they see fit. I chose to approach my love of Burns, by honouring women, drawing attention to poverty, and having faith in the children of the future.

On the day we celebrated the birth of Robert Burns, there was a girl born into abject poverty in a small mud or stone hut, in a refugee tent- with little to eat and primitive healthcare, if any at all. In fact, of the 360,000 births per day in the world, most children are born into severe economic poverty. But that child has something - something remarkable! She has her soul!  And maybe her mother is a traumatized refugee, an immigrant fleeing unspeakable hardship, and pulling from deep within her own soul to fight for a new hope. 

It is not Robert Burns that is immortal, but the values he kindled and rekindled – the flames that warmed a callous society. For those who listen today, he thaws beating hearts chilled by indifference or hatred.  Words can be beautiful, powerful, uplifting, nourishing, and yet they can also be divisive, hateful, and create pain. From whence do they come? It is the soul that stirs the creation of words.  

This Ploughman’s Poet, this Scottish Songwriter, this Loveable Ladd, stirred a delicious Scotch Broth with his soul. He mixed in the ingredients of love, humour, joy, anguish, personal guilt, the judgement of others, fear, compassion, egalitarianism, and benevolence. And, oh, did he stir the pot over an open fire! It was rich, robust, flavorful.  And we can put what he has served straight to our lips –  and savor the taste. 

On Jan 15 1759, The British Museum opened to the public at the Montagu House which was a late 17th-century grand mansion on Great Russell Street in the Bloomsbury district of London. It was indeed a resplendent structure. It was an event of great fanfare - brilliant and inspirational exhibits - the elite and many more classes in London society were thrilled by the spectacle. 

But nowhere to be seen at the opening were the many families who lived in severe poverty – those who could not afford daily bread, who were living in workhouses.  In fact, the economically poor, and especially children, were elusive in the historical records, essentially invisible and unheard in the data and secondary administrative literature of the period. And in Scotland – which the Scottish Parliament voted to adopt the Treat of Union with England in 1707 – poverty was a real issue and growing more acute.  

Only about a week after the British Museum opened in 1759, a winter chill enveloped Ayrshire, on the South West of Scotland. It was wet, it was muddy. The days were beginning to lengthen but still short- the sun – though often behind the grey clouds - rose at half past 8 and was down at half past 4.

There in a simple cold thatched cottage with dirt floors in the village of Alloway, with no fanfare, no bands of pipers marching - no haggis - was born into economic poverty to tenant farmers William and Agnes Burness - their first child – who they named Robert.    

As we celebrate this birthday, as is often the case with historical figures whose birthdays we honour – we often overlook a vital person – the mother. Sometimes historians will unfortunately first gravitate to the story of father before the mother.  Robert’s mother, Agnes, was a saint. She was a nurturer, and in this sense she nurtured in her son a love of song and goodness.  

And just as we honour Agnes, we must pay tribute to another woman who is often forgotten, a hero central to this story.  Her name was Jean Armour – she the wife and partner of Burns. She gave birth to their nine children, raised those who survived birth, and even raised some not her own. 

Jean inspired poetry, she motivated children, was eminently patient, bore grief and loss with grace, was forgiving, and helped Robert face his many demons – just as Tam o' Shanter faced his. Jean carried Robert over many a bridge as he ran away from his chasing darkness. Without Jean, the world would not have Robert's verse.     

Robert had an aptitude for song, romanticism, satire, and pastural pleasures – and his words immediately resonated, for they were fresh and bold - capturing the voice of people from all stations and nations – especially those often overlooked and forgotten – and in a language and dialect of the Scottish people and nation.

So what was the day round which we gathered in January? What did we celebrate? Yes, on the surface we celebrated a great author, poet, a song writer, the pride of Scotland! But there is something deeper – deeper down in the soil to which the ploughing penetrating pen of Burns takes us to – something far below this weakening shell of ours – of humble flesh and bone. Tis the seed of our humanity – he is not the architect of that seed, rather he is a cultivator of it.

I believe most of all Burns helps us to celebrate the fleeting days of life –  to embrace the hard edges of it with humour and satire - to enjoy the special journey of humanity – the dignity of the human soul.  And Burns awakens us in remembrance of all – to treat others with esteem, including ourselves – to stand by the innocent, to call out FOLLY and hypocrisy in leadership, to hold the BULLY accountable - to remember those we love, seek forgiveness, and to extend a helping hand.  

To the many children born into poverty on January 25, 2019, especially girls, let’s help their voices rise, amplify their song so that they fly as a lark. Let’s believe they can! For this wee boy from Alloway named Robert Burns did so. His soul and voice was a gift, and that gift gives hope to that which is immortal -- our personal freedom, our liberty, our capacity for love, our agency to choose what we do with our soul and the souls we encounter.  

It is 260 years since the birth of Robert Burns - perhaps 260 years from now, the world will be gathering around tables across the world and offer a toast to a girl born on the day he was born. People around the globe will assemble in song to celebrate that for which she stood, and in so doing they will toast the aspirations of Robert Burns – and in that sense the Scottish bard will be right there – so pleasingly gathered with all for the toast in tribute to how she made the world a better place.