Nature as an Escape in "The Banks o’ Doon"

Often at times when life becomes difficult, people search for an escape. They seek an opportunity to decompress through the things they enjoy most, such as painting or meditating. For Robert Burns, this getaway was nature. Even when his life was filled with stress, heartbreak, and financial burdens, he was always able to find beauty in creation. This is expressed through Burns’ poem, “The Banks o’ Doon”. Here, he explains that even though he was broken inside, the birds still chirped and the flowers still bloomed. Through vivid imagery, he connects his awe of nature with his personal experiences. This allows the reader to picture and feel the ideas he's explaining, as it brings his emotions to life.

 

The loss of a loved one, especially a parent, can be extremely tolling on an individual. They lose a piece of themselves, and have to learn to live without a key aspect of their life. Burns and his brother had to suffer through this pain in 1784 when their father passed away. Along with this grief, they also had to adjust to the greater workload and financial troubles for years following their father’s death. This is because the two boys were required to take over their family farm which greatly struggled. This accounts for the agony he refers to throughout his writing. Burns explains,

 

How can ye bloom be fresh and fair?

How can ye chant, ye little birds,

And I sae weary fu’ o’ care!

Thou’ll break my heart, thou warbling bird,

That wantons thro’ the flowering thorn:

Thou minds me o’ departed joys,

Departed never to return.

 

Here, Burns incorporates imagery into his writing to help the audience picture the merry chirping birds and fresh blooming flowers. Similarly, he rhetorically questions these cheerful ideas as he wonders how they can be so beautiful while he’s filled with sorrow. This reflects the pleasure and peace that nature brought him throughout his problems. Since Burns was young, he was always more interested in the creations around him and poetry than he was farm work. As he grew up, this became especially clear. Interestingly enough, even though the farm which was a part of creation caused him so much grief, he still found beauty and joy in nature. His heart was breaking but he was able to escape his troubles through the outdoors and find inner peace.

 

Along with his financial and family issues, Burns also struggled with his love life. He is known to have loved being with women, even if it meant not being true to the relationship he was in. Throughout his life, it is believed that he only married one woman, Jean Armour, despite having thirteen children with four different women. Surprisingly, Burns writes about personally dealing with a false lover as opposed to being one. Burns describes,

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Wi’ lightsome heart I pu’d a rose,

Fu’ sweet upon its thorny tree!

And may fause Luver staw my rose,

But ah! he left the thorn wi’ me.

 

As explained, he utilizes vivid imagery that allows the reader to picture a beautiful rose among a tree full of thorns. They can then imagine the poem as a scene in a film, with a woman stealing her lover’s gorgeous flower, leaving him with a thorn stuck in his hand. This demonstrates ideas of betrayal as he connects how his love treated him to nature. In 1786, four years prior to when “The Banks o’ Doon” was written, Burns faced serious marital issues with Armour. Even though the two were deeply in love and expecting a child, Armour’s father forbade her from marrying Burns. As time passed and Armour’s father continued to convince her to follow his orders, she eventually sided with him and agreed to his conditions. This left Burns angry and without love, seeking a new relationship. From these events, the audience can connect the idea of love and one’s heart to the symbol of the rose. Armour robbed him of his feelings, and left him alone with the pain, expressed by a thorn.

 

When poets are trying to help the audience understand their perspective, they often connect their ideas to the topics they’re most passionate about. This holds true for Burns, who expressed his pain and suffering through nature. In his writing, he creates a drastic contrast between his dark struggles and the beautiful outdoors. He vividly describes specific aspects of nature that paint various joyful pictures in the reader’s head. As they see the blossoming flowers and hear the fresh blowing wind, they understand that these creations were his escape from his world filled with sorrow.