Poetry Broadcast October 7 2008 You don’t expect Robbie Burns to be in the newspapers these days, yet recently Jeremy Paxman was criticising his work - calling it puerile. And yesterday there was Burns again – this time being lauded by Bob Dylan as his greatest source of inspiration. “My love is like a red red rose” was Dylan’s choice and that’s probably the most famous of Burns’ songs. But poetry also inspires more than romantic and gooey feelings. A near contemporary of Burns; Abraham Lincoln, found that he was inspired towards social justice and the ending of slavery by the sentiments expressed by the Scottish poet. No doubt Burns also helped to inspire Dylan’s own songs of protest. It is no surprise that writers and poets are often seen as threats by totalitarian regimes – their words can offer hope in dark times and help to unite and galvanise people to make changes. The pen is truly mightier than the sword. Poetry has a marvellous capacity to be timeless, to convey truth, and to speak to our deepest feelings and emotions. That’s why Burns is still read and appreciated long after his death. And that is one reason for the enduring appeal and relevance of books of Scripture. Some writings can continue to guide and inspire and motivate us - even after thousands of years. The Bible contains whole books of poetry, but in addition there are many parts where truth is expressed in a non-literal way. For example, the book of Genesis has little to offer as a scientific description of the origin of the planet, but the stories beautifully sum up exactly the human condition and the reality of life on earth. As a result the words and stories and ideas expressed are timeless and continue to be helpful even in today’s world. I don’t know how long the words of Burns (and indeed the words of Dylan) will be studied and read and debated and quoted, but my guess is that they will never be forgotten. If you can find a memorable way of capturing the truth, then your work will always be relevant.