My heart"s in the Highlands, my heart is not here, My heart"s in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer, Chasing the wild deer, and following the roe- My heart"s in the Highlands wherever I go. Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North, The birthplace of valour, the country of worth; Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,The hills of the Highlands for ever I love.
Farewell to the mountains high covered with snow; Farewell to the straths and green valleys below; Farewell to the forests and wild hanging woods; Farewell to the torrents and loud pouring floods. My heart"s in the Highlands, my heart is not here; My heart"s in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer; Chasing the wild deer, and following the roe-My heart"s in the Highlands, wherever I go.
- Robert Burns
Drawn by W. S. Wemyss
"My heart"s in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer."Author.-Robert Burns (1759-1796), the national poet of Scotland, was born in Ayrshire on the 25th of January. He went to school at the age of six, and was afterwards taught by a village tutor named Murdoch. At the age of fifteen he went to work on his father"s farm and most of his life was passed in this occupation. In 1788 he married Jean Armour, and he died comparatively young. Like Shakespeare, Burns borrowed largely from many writers in matter, phrase, and metre, but his natural brilliancy, truth, sympathy, and sincerity made what he wrote his own and each poem a work of genius. He was honest, proud, friendly, and warm-hearted, full of feeling, and able to make others feel. So he struck the human note, the universal note, and endeared himself to his countrymen and the world.
General Notes.-Justify "birthplace of valour," "the country of worth"(think of those who would not betray Prince Charlie for gold). What are straths?
Suggestions for Verse-speaking.-What lines are repeated? Let thewhole class speak these lines. The remaining lines can be divided singly or in pairs between groups of the class.
