The song was written in 1791 and sent in a letter to Mrs Agnes McLehose (addressed as ‘Nancy’ in this instance).

More information about Burns's relationship with Agnes McLehose, plus pictures of the exhibit at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum dedicated to 'Ae Fond Kiss. Ae Fond Kiss is one of Robert Burns’s most famous love songs, one that outlines not the joy that love can bring but the acute pain of a broken-heart. See a digital copy of 1791 letter Burns sent to Agnes McLehose containing the words to 'Ae Fond Kiss.' Confirmed with The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Cambridge edition, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin. Learn more about the relationship that inspired 'Ae Fond Kiss' and listen to three musical recordings: a sung version of 'Ae Fond Kiss,' plus an instrumental version of the poem's original tune, 'Rory Dall's Port,' and the poem's more common contemporary musical setting, 'My Love Today As Heretofore.' The Background and Music of 'Ae Fond Kiss' Ae Fond Kiss (1791) is a love poem by the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns (17591796) intended to be set to music. Ae Fond Kiss by Robert Burns Buy Study Guide Ae Fond Kiss Themes Love and Sacrifice Our speaker grapples with the reality that, while falling in love has been both a natural and a rewarding experience, it has also opened him up to negative emotions that he otherwise would not have experienced. Enjoy a beautifully sung version of 'Ae Fond Kiss' by Scottish singer-songwriter Eddi Reader. See a digital copy of 'Ae Fond Kiss' as published in 'Scots Musical Museum,' 1792, set to the musical tune 'Rory Dall's Port.' Song (Ae fond kiss) Lyrics Ae fond kiss, and then we sever Ae fareweel, and then forever Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee, Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.

Ae fond kiss burns