Ae Fond Kiss By Robert Burns 1759 1796

Ae Fond Kiss By Robert Burns 1759 -1796

Ae Fond Kiss What do we understand from the title of the poem?

Ae fond kiss, and then we sever; Ae fareweel, and then forever! Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee, Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee. Who shall say that Fortune grieves him, While the star of hope she leaves him? Me, nae cheerfu’ twinkle lights me; Dark despair around benights me. I'll ne'er blame my partial fancy, Naething could resist my Nancy: But to see her was to love her; Love but her, and love for ever. Had we never lov'd sae kindly, Had we never lov'd sae blindly, Never met-or never parted. We had ne'er been broken-hearted. Fare-thee-weel, thou first and fairest! Fare-thee-weel, thou best and dearest! Thine be ilka joy and treasure, Peace, Enjoyment, Love and Pleasure! Ae fond kiss, and then we sever! Ae fareweel, alas, forever! Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee, Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.

AO 3: Context

1759 -1796 National poet of Scotland Robert Burns was born in Alloway, just south of Ayr. His parents were tenant farmers and Burns was no stranger to physical labour. His parents ensured he had a good education and he was an avid reader. His passions were poetry, nature, drink and women. He married and fathered twins, but almost left his wife and emigrated with his lover to the West Indies. It was only her sudden death that kept him in Scotland. By the time he was 27, he was famous across Scotland was hailed as ‘the ploughman poet’ because his poetry complemented the growing literary taste for romanticism and pastoral pleasures. He moved to Edinburgh and continued his affairs, fathering illegitimate children. His political views became increasingly radical. He spent his earnings quickly and took a job as an Excise Officer to survive. The hard work this job entailed, along with the effects of his earlier lifestyle, led to his death at 37, following a dental extraction. A memorial edition of his poems was published to support his wife and children.

Burns and Agnes ‘Nancy’ Mc. Lehose Whilst in Edinburgh, Burns met the already married Agnes ‘Nancy’ Mc. Lehose and began a relationship with her. They exchanged letters using the pseudonyms of ‘Clarinda’ for Agnes and ‘Sylvander’ for Burns. When she met Burns, Agnes had left her husband due to his mental cruelty and depression. She was determined to meet Burns and invited him to tea after their initial meeting via a friend. They began a love affair via letters but she resisted his physical advances and he had a child with her maid instead. They maintained their love affair until she decided to return to her husband in Jamaica. She left Edinburgh in 1791. Nancy wrote in her journal: "This day I can never forget. Parted with Burns, in the year 1791, never more to meet in this world. Oh, may we meet in Heaven!“ Burns wrote ‘Ae Fond Kiss’ for Agnes and sent it to her, along with other songs he had written for her, after she had reconciled with her husband. He kept a silhouette of her until his death.

AO 2: Language and Imagery

‘Sever’ suggests a sudden, painful and final parting, but this is a ‘fond’ kiss. Is the speaker bitter? Alliteration reinforces finality Ae fond kiss, and then we sever; Ae fareweel, and then, forever! Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee, Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee. 1. ‘Wage’ = a pledge or promise – the ‘sighs and groans’ are the price he pays for their parting. 2. The ‘sighs and groans’ are waging war inside him – this is reinforced by the onomatopoeia of ‘sigh’ (an open sound) and ‘groan’ (a closed sound); these contrasting sounds signify an internal battle representing his pain at parting. What is the poet saying here? Lines 2 and 3 could easily be part of the same sentence. Why has Burns separated them with the exclamation mark at the end of line 2? What is the effect of this?

‘Star’ = a glimmer ‘Me’ = the speaker ‘Him’ = all men. (If you still have the hope of a reunion then you are of good fortune…) Who shall say that Fortune grieves him, While the star of hope she leaves him? Me, nae cheerful twinkle lights me; Dark despair around benights me. What is the poet saying here? How does the speaker contrast himself with all men? AO 4: What other poems contain the idea of love as a guiding light in the darkness?

i. e. partial to I'll ne'er blame my partial fancy, Naething could resist my Nancy: But to see her was to love her; Love but her, and love for ever. Why is it ironic that he calls her ‘my’ Nancy? Had we never lov'd sae kindly, Had we never lov'd sae blindly, Never met-or never parted, We had ne'er been broken-hearted. What is the poet saying here? Look at the way the poet clusters the words ‘love’ and ‘lov’d’ together. What is significant about their placement? [Hint: look at the whole poem. ]

‘ilka’ = every Fare-thee-weel, thou first and fairest! Fare-thee-weel, thou best and dearest! Thine be ilka joy and treasure, Peace, Enjoyment, Love and Pleasure! What is the poet saying here? What are his wishes for his departing love? What does this indicate about how he feels? What might the exclamation marks add to this?

Ae fond kiss, and then we sever! Ae fareweel, alas, for ever! Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee, Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee. AO 3: In the original 1. The end of the poem/moment The repetition of (most of) the manuscript, of parting is near, so ‘alas’ first stanza suggests that ‘forever’ = ‘for expresses the speaker’s despair nothing has changed for the This stanza is almost an exact replica of the first stanza. What isever’ (two distinct different? 2. It is the sound of another sigh speaker: this is a goodbye, not words). This forms Why is this significant? (cf. ‘groans’/’sighs’) a plea for change. a firmer stop at 3. The ‘a’ vowel sounds stand out the end of ‘ever’ in a poem which mostly features rather than the ‘ee’, ‘ae’ and ‘o’ ongoing ‘forever’. What could we say about this?

AO 2: Form / Structure

Ae fond kiss, and then we sever; Ae fareweel, alas, for ever! Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee, Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee. Who shall say that Fortune grieves him, While the star of hope she leaves him? Me, nae cheerful twinkle lights me; Dark despair around benights me. I'll ne'er blame my partial fancy, Naething could resist my Nancy: But to see her was to love her; Love but her, and love for ever. Can you identify the rhyme scheme? Had we never lov'd sae kindly, Had we never lov'd sae blindly, Never met-or never parted, We had ne'er been broken-hearted. Fare-thee-weel, thou first and fairest! Fare-thee-weel, thou best and dearest! Thine be ilka joy and treasure, Peace, Enjoyment, Love and Pleasure! Ae fond kiss, and then we sever! Ae fareweeli alas, for ever! Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee, Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.

A A B B Ae fond kiss, and then we sever; Ae fareweel, alas, for ever! Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee, Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee. A A B B Who shall say that Fortune grieves him, While the star of hope she leaves him? Me, nae cheerful twinkle lights me; Dark despair around benights me. A A B B I'll ne'er blame my partial fancy, Naething could resist my Nancy: But to see her was to love her; Love but her, and love for ever. The poem is written in simple quatrains. The metre puts a stress on the first syllable of every line and ends each line with an unstressed syllable (i. e. feminine endings), leading to feminine rhymes. This gives the poem a sad, falling rhythm. Can you identify the rhyme scheme? A A B B Had we never lov'd sae kindly, Had we never lov'd sae blindly, Never met-or never parted, We had ne'er been broken-hearted. A A B B Fare-thee-weel, thou first and fairest! Fare-thee-weel, thou best and dearest! Thine be ilka joy and treasure, Peace, Enjoyment, Love and Pleasure! A A B B Ae fond kiss, and then we sever! Ae fareweeli alas, for ever! Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee, Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.

AO 4/5: Links and Interpretations

“In the eighteenth century, sentiment was one of the most pervasive literary styles. This poem privileges feelings over intellect and offers sincerity rather than irony or wit. In addition the poem is written as a song (in which heartfelt emotion is commonplace). In this genre, a heartfelt outpouring of love is appropriate, rather than seeming to be overstated. ” -- Luke Mc. Bratney (2016) What links to other poems can we make?

“Burns’ use of different emotions associated with love helps to keep the poem from seeming cloying or repetitive: there is a subtle balancing of feelings of deep love and deep pain as he thinks about the imminent parting. ” -- Luke Mc. Bratney (2016) Do you agree?

AO 1: What kind of love is presented in this poem? Think about: • The characteristics of love • The representation of the people involved • The feelings of the speaker • Any imagery or language used • The way the structure and form reflects this You can either: Write a side of A 4 to explain your answer. Write a detailed plan of your answer. Make sure you include and analyse quotations from the text.

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