Source: Radio New Zealand
The manuscript was written in 1787. Supplied / Dunedin Public Libraries
A portion of a 239-year-old manuscript used by the celebrated Scottish poet Robert Burns has gone on display in Dunedin.
The framed letter dated August 22, 1787 was believed to have been written by the poet in Edinburgh before he departed for the Highlands.
The 18th century bard was widely regarded “the national poet of Scotland”.
The year of the manuscript was when Burns reached the peak of his initial fame, following the huge success of the Second Edition, also known as the Edinburgh Edition, of his poems.
The Robert Burns statue in Dunedin.
The piece was being shown on the Dunedin City Library’s third floor ahead of traditional Burns Day celebrations on Sunday.
The Gibson family – who had connections to Dunedin – had made the piece available last year and had offered it as a permanent loan to the city library.
Part of the manuscript included the phrase “a wee bush is better than nae bield” which was used on the poet’s self-designed coat of arms.
The portion of the Burns letter reads:
We’ll seek our bield. _ A wee bush is better than nae
bield. Let the worm come and the meat wit
A pund o’ care winna pay an ounce o’debt. When
Friends meet, hearts warm; which brings me
In my regular course of method to this solemn
Truth, that I am ever,
My dear Sir,
Your sincerely
Robt. Burns
Edin.: 22 August 1787.
“We are delighted to share this letter fragment with the public for the first time, thanks to the generosity of the Gibson family, and to acknowledge their permanent loan of the letter on the occasion of Burns Day this year.” Dunedin Director of Library Services Sarah Gallagher said.
The framed Robert Burns manuscript segment is on display at Dunedin City Library. Supplied / Dunedin Public Libraries
Dunedin’s City Library collection also included Burns’ four-line manuscript poem, To Mrs Kemble. The poem commemorates his admiration for a 1794 performance by actress Elizabeth Kemble in the comic opera, Inkle and Yarico.
The Dunedin Burns Club had presented Dunedin Public Libraries with the majority of the Burns material, which numbers more than 300 items.
A statue of Burns, dating back to 1887, was a major landmark in Dunedin’s Octagon, and one of four versions around the world.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
