Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known as
Rabbie Burns, the
Bard of Ayrshire and various other names and epithets, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the
national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the
Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a light
Scots dialect, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these writings his political or civil commentary is often at its bluntest.