Table of Contents
Scope and Contents of the Collection
| Ask a question |
| Request a visit |
| Potentially harmful content statement |
Overview of the Collection |
|
| Creator: | Burns, Robert, 1759-1796. |
| Title: | Robert Burns Letter |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1793 |
| Quantity: | 1 folder (SC) |
| Abstract: | Draft of a love letter, written by the Scottish poet for a local farmer to a Miss Gordon |
| Language: | English |
| Repository: |
Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center |
Biographical History
Robert Burns (1759-1796) was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and as a seminal member of the Romantic movement.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Robert Burns Letter consists of an original handwritten draft of a love letter, evidently written for a local farmer (identified only as "Johnston") and addressed to a "Miss Gordon." The second page of the letter bears an annotation by Burns' eldest son attributing the handwriting to his father. The letter is tipped to a mounting sheet and attached to another letter of W. Smith, a former owner of the manuscript. The letter reads in part:
...I intend very soon doing myself the honor of waiting on you, persuaded that however little Miss Gordon may be disposed to attend to the suit of a lover as unworthy of her as I am, she is...still too good to despise an honest man, whose only fault, as to her, is loving her too much for his own peace.
The full text of the letter appears on pp. 186-7 of volume II of J. De Lancey Ferguson's The Letters of Robert Burns (Clarendon Press: 1931), supplied with the date of July 1793 by the editor.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.
Use Restrictions
Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Subject Headings
Persons
Subjects
Genres and Forms
Occupations
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Robert Burns Letter,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
Acquisition Information
Gift of Sol Feinstone.
Finding Aid Information
Created by: KM
Date: Dec 1996
Revision history: 13 May 2010 - converted to EAD