Complete Works of Robert Burns

Annotation

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. The contents of the preceding volume brought the reader down to about the end of July 1786, when the poet was await ing the appearance of the Kilmarnock Edition of his poems. Only one poetical piece in this second volume The Farewell commemorates that period of gloom. Dawn was nearer than he thought. Jean Armour's safe delivery of twin-children, on 3d September of that year, and the happy domestic arrange ment that followed, helped to make matters flow more smoothly with the forlorn poet. On the following day, a poet of a difi'erent stamp, the venerable Dr. Blacklock of Edinburgh, who was regarded as the centre of a literary circle in that city, wrote to his friend, the Rev. Dr. Lawrie, parish minister of London, a letter which is supposed to have had consider able efi'ect on the after career of Burns. Its subject was the wonderful volume of poetry that had issued from the Kilmar nock Press about five weeks previously, and which Dr. Lawrie had transmitted to Edinburgh to excite the blind bard's astonishment, and elicit his Opinion of its contents. That letter concluded with an expression of the writer's regret that although another copy of Buras's poems had been sought with diligence and ardor, it could not be procured because the whole impression was exhausted. It were therefore, he added, much to be wished, for the sake of the young man, that a second edition more numerous than the former could immediately be printed.