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Man was made to Mourn

December 15, 2023

"Man was made to Mourn: A Dirge" is a dirge of eleven stanzas by the Scots poet Robert Burns, first published in 1784 and included in the first edition of Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect in 1786. The poem is one of Burns's many early works that criticize class inequalities. It is known for its line protesting "Man's inhumanity to man", which has been widely quoted since its publication.

Man was made to Mourn
by Robert Burns
Genre(s)Dirge
Publication date1784
Lines88 (11 stanzas)
MetreCommon metre
Full text
Aloway Kirk, or, Tam o' Shanter (1817)/Man was Made to Mourn at Wikisource

Composition edit

The origin of this poem is alluded to by Burns in one of his letters to Frances Dunlop: "I had an old grand-uncle with whom my mother lived in her girlish years: the good old man was long blind ere he died, during which time his highest enjoyment was to sit and cry, while my mother would sing the simple old song of 'The Life and Age of Man'".[1] "The Age and Life of Man" that Burns wrote about hearing his mother sing was a 17th-century ballad. it served as the basis of "Man was made to Mourn".[2] An early draft of the poem was included in The First Commonplace Book, a work that was largely texts intended to be sung to the tunes of existing songs.[3]

Synopsis edit

"Man was made to Mourn" is an eleven stanza dirge by Robert Burns, first published in 1784.[4][2] The poem was originally intended to be sung to the tune of the song "Peggy Bawn". It is written as if it were being delivered by a wiser old man to a "young stranger" standing in the winter on "the banks of Aire".[2] It includes the stanza:

Many and sharp the num'rous ills
    Inwoven with our frame!
More pointed still we make ourselves
    Regret, remorse, and shame!
And man, whose heav'n-erected face
    The smiles of love adorn,—
Man's inhumanity to man
    Makes countless thousands mourn!

Analysis and reception edit

Despite being based on a 17th-century folk song, the idiom of "man's inhumanity to man" is a distinctly neoclassical rhetorical expression, according to scholar David Daiches, who cites the poem as one of Burns's English works that "use a Scots literary form but are otherwise English in inspiration".[5]

"Man was made to Mourn" is one of Burns's many early poems that protest class inequalities.[6] The scholar Nigel Leask writes that the poem includes "surprisingly contemporary themes", noting its "lament for the harshness and brevity of human life" and direct criticism of "hundreds labour[ing] to support / a haughty lordling's pride". It does not offer these poor hope, emphasising the negative sentiment that "man was made to mourn". Leask also notes that the poem supports a right to work by criticising a lord who will not hire a former farmer looking for work.[2]

Critic and author Edwin Muir described "Man was made to Mourn" as one of Burns's few poems that clearly expresses his own emotions, describing it as "obviously composed under the stress of deep personal emotion," in contrast to his works that express the personas of other people or groups. Muir considers that this makes the poem "among the worst he [Burns] wrote".[7] McGuirk argues that the poem is representative of Burns's inability in his early poems to conceive of an end other than death to the struggles and injustices of life.[8]

Burns initially wrote the poem in response to pervasive "economic and social injustices" in society.[9] It was well received. The author Thomas De Quincey was deeply impacted by a stanza in the poem about a struggling peasant who was not allowed to work by Cassilis, a wealthy man:[6]

See, yonder poor, o'erlabour'd wight,
      So abject, mean and vile,
Who begs a brother of the earth
      To give him leave to toil.

De Quincey wrote that "I had for ever ringing in my ears... those groans which ascended to heaven from his over-burdened heart— those harrowing words, "to give him leave to toil".[6] The poem also influenced poet William Wordsworth, most notably in his Lines Written in Early Spring (1798) and "Resolution and Independence" (1802).[10] McGuirk describes the poem and "Despondency: An Ode" as serving as a touchstone "for later poets in and out of Scotland."[11]: 68  However, in the years since its publication, the poem has been more broadly applied to wars and genocides.[9]

"Man's inhumanity to man" edit

The line "man's inhumanity to man" has been widely quoted since Burns' poem was first published, in reference to wars, mistreatment of indigenous peoples and nations, and, according to historian Mark Celinscak, other "acts of extreme violence".[12][13] In his 2009 biography on Burns, Robert Crawford wrote that Burns was influenced by the poet Edward Young's Night-Thoughts, which includes discussion on "Man's...endless inhumanities on Man".[14] In 1798 the English poet William Wordsworth adapted it in his Lines Written in Early Spring.[15]

The line is still broadly associated with Burns' poem.[9] Celinscak writes that the phrase has become banal due to "decades of overuse", noting that it was commonly used to describe the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp during the Second World War.[12] The line was cited six times by Martin Luther King Jr. in his autobiography.[16]

Illustrations edit

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References edit

  1. ^ Cunningham, ed. 1855, pp. 95–96.
  2. ^ a b c d Leask 2010.
  3. ^ McGuirk 2015, pp. 46–47.
  4. ^ Robert Burns (2005). "Burns Country". Man was made to mourn: A Dirge. robertburns.org. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  5. ^ Broadhead 2014, p. 21.
  6. ^ a b c Weston 1982, p. 40.
  7. ^ Jack & Noble 1982, p. 16.
  8. ^ McGuirk 2015, p. 27.
  9. ^ a b c Roth 2018, p. 159.
  10. ^ McGuirk 2015, pp. 76, 85.
  11. ^ McGuirk 2015, p. 68.
  12. ^ a b Celinscak 2015, p. 11.
  13. ^ Hughey 2016, pp. 55.
  14. ^ Crawford 2009, p. 193.
  15. ^ Dabundo 2009, pp. 68.
  16. ^ McGuirk 2015, p. 190.

Bibliography edit

  • Broadhead, Alex (2014). The Language of Robert Burns: Style, Ideology, and Identity. Bucknell University Press. ISBN 978-1-61148-528-8.
  • Celinscak, Mark (2015). Distance from the Belsen Heap: Allied Forces and the Liberation of a Nazi Concentration Camp. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-1-4426-1570-0.
  • Crawford, Robert (2009). The Bard. London: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 9780224077682.
  • Cunningham, Allan, ed. (1855). The Complete Works of Robert Burns. Boston: Phillips, Sampson, and Company. pp. 95–96.
  • Dabundo, Laura (2009). Encyclopedia of Romanticism (Routledge Revivals): Culture in Britain, 1780s-1830s. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-23235-1.
  • Hughey, Michael W. (2016). New Tribalisms: The Resurgence of Race and Ethnicity. Springer. ISBN 978-1-349-26403-2.
  • Jack, R. D. S.; Noble, Andrew, eds. (1982). "Introduction". The Art of Robert Burns. Vision Press. pp. 7–21. ISBN 0389202037.
  • Leask, Nigel (2010). "Pastoral Politics". Robert Burns and Pastoral: Poetry and Improvement in Late Eighteenth-Century Scotland. pp. 115–143. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199572618.003.0005. ISBN 978-0-19-957261-8.
  • McGuirk, Carol (2015). Reading Robert Burns: Texts, Contexts, Transformations. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-31734-0.
  • Roth, Hans Ingvar (2018). P. C. Chang and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-9547-4.
  • Weston, John C. (1982). "Robert Burns's Satire". In Jack, R. D. S.; Noble, Andrew (eds.). The Art of Robert Burns. Vision Press. pp. 36–58. ISBN 0389202037.

Further reading edit

  • Braidwood, Alistair; Orr, Jennifer (2014). "Robert Burns - Man Was Made To Mourn". BBC Arts. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  • Cunningham, Allan, ed. (1884). The Poetical Works of Robert Burns. New York: R. Worthington. p. 49.
  • Douglas, William Scott, ed. (1890) The Kilmarnock Edition of the Poetical Works of Robert Burns. 7th ed. Toronto: The Rose Publishing Co, Ltd.; Kilmarnock: D. Brown & Co. p. 83.

December 15, 2023
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A request that this article title be changed to Man Was Made to Mourn is under discussion Please do not move this article until the discussion is closed Man was made to Mourn A Dirge is a dirge of eleven stanzas by the Scots poet Robert Burns first published in 1784 and included in the first edition of Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect in 1786 The poem is one of Burns s many early works that criticize class inequalities It is known for its line protesting Man s inhumanity to man which has been widely quoted since its publication Man was made to Mournby Robert BurnsGenre s DirgePublication date1784Lines88 11 stanzas MetreCommon metreFull textAloway Kirk or Tam o Shanter 1817 Man was Made to Mourn at Wikisource Contents 1 Composition 2 Synopsis 3 Analysis and reception 3 1 Man s inhumanity to man 4 Illustrations 5 References 6 Bibliography 7 Further readingComposition editThe origin of this poem is alluded to by Burns in one of his letters to Frances Dunlop I had an old grand uncle with whom my mother lived in her girlish years the good old man was long blind ere he died during which time his highest enjoyment was to sit and cry while my mother would sing the simple old song of The Life and Age of Man 1 The Age and Life of Man that Burns wrote about hearing his mother sing was a 17th century ballad it served as the basis of Man was made to Mourn 2 An early draft of the poem was included in The First Commonplace Book a work that was largely texts intended to be sung to the tunes of existing songs 3 Synopsis edit Man was made to Mourn is an eleven stanza dirge by Robert Burns first published in 1784 4 2 The poem was originally intended to be sung to the tune of the song Peggy Bawn It is written as if it were being delivered by a wiser old man to a young stranger standing in the winter on the banks of Aire 2 It includes the stanza Many and sharp the num rous ills Inwoven with our frame More pointed still we make ourselves Regret remorse and shame And man whose heav n erected face The smiles of love adorn Man s inhumanity to man Makes countless thousands mourn Analysis and reception editDespite being based on a 17th century folk song the idiom of man s inhumanity to man is a distinctly neoclassical rhetorical expression according to scholar David Daiches who cites the poem as one of Burns s English works that use a Scots literary form but are otherwise English in inspiration 5 Man was made to Mourn is one of Burns s many early poems that protest class inequalities 6 The scholar Nigel Leask writes that the poem includes surprisingly contemporary themes noting its lament for the harshness and brevity of human life and direct criticism of hundreds labour ing to support a haughty lordling s pride It does not offer these poor hope emphasising the negative sentiment that man was made to mourn Leask also notes that the poem supports a right to work by criticising a lord who will not hire a former farmer looking for work 2 Critic and author Edwin Muir described Man was made to Mourn as one of Burns s few poems that clearly expresses his own emotions describing it as obviously composed under the stress of deep personal emotion in contrast to his works that express the personas of other people or groups Muir considers that this makes the poem among the worst he Burns wrote 7 McGuirk argues that the poem is representative of Burns s inability in his early poems to conceive of an end other than death to the struggles and injustices of life 8 Burns initially wrote the poem in response to pervasive economic and social injustices in society 9 It was well received The author Thomas De Quincey was deeply impacted by a stanza in the poem about a struggling peasant who was not allowed to work by Cassilis a wealthy man 6 See yonder poor o erlabour d wight So abject mean and vile Who begs a brother of the earth To give him leave to toil De Quincey wrote that I had for ever ringing in my ears those groans which ascended to heaven from his over burdened heart those harrowing words to give him leave to toil 6 The poem also influenced poet William Wordsworth most notably in his Lines Written in Early Spring 1798 and Resolution and Independence 1802 10 McGuirk describes the poem and Despondency An Ode as serving as a touchstone for later poets in and out of Scotland 11 68 However in the years since its publication the poem has been more broadly applied to wars and genocides 9 Man s inhumanity to man edit The line man s inhumanity to man has been widely quoted since Burns poem was first published in reference to wars mistreatment of indigenous peoples and nations and according to historian Mark Celinscak other acts of extreme violence 12 13 In his 2009 biography on Burns Robert Crawford wrote that Burns was influenced by the poet Edward Young s Night Thoughts which includes discussion on Man s endless inhumanities on Man 14 In 1798 the English poet William Wordsworth adapted it in his Lines Written in Early Spring 15 The line is still broadly associated with Burns poem 9 Celinscak writes that the phrase has become banal due to decades of overuse noting that it was commonly used to describe the Bergen Belsen concentration camp during the Second World War 12 The line was cited six times by Martin Luther King Jr in his autobiography 16 Illustrations edit nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp References edit Cunningham ed 1855 pp 95 96 a b c d Leask 2010 McGuirk 2015 pp 46 47 Robert Burns 2005 Burns Country Man was made to mourn A Dirge robertburns org Retrieved 13 November 2009 Broadhead 2014 p 21 a b c Weston 1982 p 40 Jack amp Noble 1982 p 16 McGuirk 2015 p 27 a b c Roth 2018 p 159 McGuirk 2015 pp 76 85 McGuirk 2015 p 68 a b Celinscak 2015 p 11 Hughey 2016 pp 55 Crawford 2009 p 193 Dabundo 2009 pp 68 McGuirk 2015 p 190 Bibliography editBroadhead Alex 2014 The Language of Robert Burns Style Ideology and Identity Bucknell University Press ISBN 978 1 61148 528 8 Celinscak Mark 2015 Distance from the Belsen Heap Allied Forces and the Liberation of a Nazi Concentration Camp University of Toronto Press ISBN 978 1 4426 1570 0 Crawford Robert 2009 The Bard London Jonathan Cape ISBN 9780224077682 Cunningham Allan ed 1855 The Complete Works of Robert Burns Boston Phillips Sampson and Company pp 95 96 Dabundo Laura 2009 Encyclopedia of Romanticism Routledge Revivals Culture in Britain 1780s 1830s Routledge ISBN 978 1 135 23235 1 Hughey Michael W 2016 New Tribalisms The Resurgence of Race and Ethnicity Springer ISBN 978 1 349 26403 2 Jack R D S Noble Andrew eds 1982 Introduction The Art of Robert Burns Vision Press pp 7 21 ISBN 0389202037 Leask Nigel 2010 Pastoral Politics Robert Burns and Pastoral Poetry and Improvement in Late Eighteenth Century Scotland pp 115 143 doi 10 1093 acprof oso 9780199572618 003 0005 ISBN 978 0 19 957261 8 McGuirk Carol 2015 Reading Robert Burns Texts Contexts Transformations Routledge ISBN 978 1 317 31734 0 Roth Hans Ingvar 2018 P C Chang and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights University of Pennsylvania Press ISBN 978 0 8122 9547 4 Weston John C 1982 Robert Burns s Satire In Jack R D S Noble Andrew eds The Art of Robert Burns Vision Press pp 36 58 ISBN 0389202037 Further reading editBraidwood Alistair Orr Jennifer 2014 Robert Burns Man Was Made To Mourn BBC Arts Retrieved 18 September 2022 Cunningham Allan ed 1884 The Poetical Works of Robert Burns New York R Worthington p 49 Douglas William Scott ed 1890 The Kilmarnock Edition of the Poetical Works of Robert Burns 7th ed Toronto The Rose Publishing Co Ltd Kilmarnock D Brown amp Co p 83 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Man was made to Mourn amp oldid 1189635014, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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