Highland Mary

“Will Ye Go to the Indies, My Mary?” by Robert Burns (1786)

Written shortly before Mary Campbell’s death, “Will Ye Go to the Indies, My Mary” does not look back on the final parting of Burns and Campbell from a distance of many years like “Highland Mary” (1792) does. Instead, the poem represents Burns’s anticipation of their future together overseas. The poem provides illuminating details about Campbell and Burns’s unofficial engagement, as well as the particulars of their ultimately final parting. This BBC page also has a link to a reading of the poem.

“My Highland Lassie, O” by Robert Burns (1786)

Although this poem does not mention Mary Campbell by name, the close date of composition to “Will Ye Go to the Indies, My Mary?” and the similar nicknames of “Highland Mary” and “Highland lassie” indicate that “My Highland Lassie, O” was also written about Campbell. The song describes Burns’s dedication to and longing for Campbell during their separation.

“To Mary in Heaven” by Robert Burns (1789)

Like “Highland Mary,” “To Mary in Heaven” was written a few a years after Mary Campbell’s death. In this poem, Burns reflects on his ill-fated love on the anniversary of Campbell’s death and, with many “groans” (Line 8) throughout, expresses the depths of his loss and personal grief.

“Ae Fond Kiss” by Robert Burns (1791)

Unlike the previous poems, “Ae Fond Kiss” was not written about Mary Campbell but was likely written about Agnes “Nancy” McLehose, with whom Burns developed a passionate but ambiguous connection. While the nature of their real relationship is not entirely certain, in “Ae Fond Kiss,” Burns presents it as a passionate yet doomed romantic entanglement. Like “Highland Mary,” the poem is largely focused on the heartbreak ensuing from a farewell.