Two hundred years after his death, people around the world celebrate Jan. 25 as the birthday of Scotland’s Bard, their most revered poet, Robert Burns.

But Burns began his life simply, as the son of a poor farmer in rural Scotland in 1759. He worked on his father’s farm, but, although poor, was taught by a tutor who instructed him in reading and writing.

In his youth, he planned to abandon farming to concentrate on his writing in the West Indies. But his first poetry collection was published before he could leave, triggering a bit of national fame and critical acclaim that kept him in the country.

The poems he wrote, especially in those early days, reflect an ethic that has carried on throughout the years: Working class, simple pleasures like drink, women and, of course, haggis.

“We wouldn’t be calling him a poet,” Lawrence festival producer Larry Carter said. “If he were around today, he’d be in a rock ‘n’ roll band.”

Even after his work became well-known in literati circles in Scotland’s larger cities, he still had to work to supplement his scant earnings from his poetry.

He wrote many of his greatest poems late in his life, including “Red, Red Rose,” arguably his most famous poem. He died at age 37.