The Farewell by Robert Burns (1786)
The speaker prepares to leave old Scotia’s bleak but beloved land, valuing it above tropical regions where rich ananas grow. He bids farewell to his mother, brother, sister, beloved Jean, and Bess, who will lose his paternal care but may share in the support of a faithful brother. He also entrusts Jean to his intimate friend Smith’s kindness. The separation from Jeany causes him intense anguish. Though she weeps and begs him not to go, misfortune confronts him with ruin and disgrace, making departure necessary for her sake. He offers grateful farewells to Hamilton and Aiken, promising to remember them with indebted tears. As the gale carries him from the dear shore, he hears its rustling and whistling and believes he will never see the land again.
By Robert Burns · First published 1786 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Farewell Poem, Scottish Poetry · 400 words
First lines
The valiant, in himself, what can he suffer? / Or what does he regard his single woes? / But when, alas! he multiplies himself, / To dearer serves, to the lov'd tender fair, / To those whose bliss, whose beings hang upon him, / To helpless children,-then, Oh then, he feels / The point of misery festering in his heart, / And weakly weeps his fortunes like a coward: / Such, such am I! -undone! / -Thomson's Edward and Eleanora.
Similar titles
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The work is a personal, emotionally concentrated poem expressing the speaker's grief, love, and anguish at departing Scotland and those closest to him.
- Farewell Poem — Its central structure consists of repeated farewells and adieus to the speaker's homeland, mother, siblings, daughter, beloved Jean, and friends before an enforced departure.
- Scottish Poetry — The poem is rooted in Scottish identity through its address to 'old Scotia,' its use of Scots-inflected diction, and its concern with leaving the speaker's native country.
- Sentimental Poetry — The writing foregrounds intense feeling, including familial devotion, romantic sorrow, friendship, paternal concern, tears, and 'bursting anguish.'
Tags
Scottish poetry · Scotland · eighteenth-century poetry · farewell poem · lyric poem · departure · exile · forced separation · misfortune · ruin and disgrace · love and loss · Jean Armour
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The Farewell is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1786 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Burns
- Date: 1786 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Farewell Poem, Scottish Poetry, Sentimental Poetry, Romantic Poetry
- Length: 400 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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