s ▁is ▁widely ▁regarded ▁as ▁the ▁national ▁poet ▁of ▁Scotland , ▁working ▁in ▁both ▁Sc ots ▁and ▁English . ▁His ▁" A uld ▁Lang ▁Sy ne " ▁is ▁often ▁s ung ▁at ▁Hog man ay , ▁and ▁" Sc ots ▁Wh a ▁H ae " ▁served ▁for ▁a ▁long ▁time ▁as ▁an ▁uno fficial ▁national ▁anth em . ▁Scottish ▁poetry ▁is ▁often ▁seen ▁as ▁entering ▁a ▁period ▁of ▁decl ine ▁in ▁the ▁nin ete enth ▁century , ▁with ▁Sc ots - language ▁poetry ▁critic ised ▁for ▁its ▁use ▁of ▁par och ial ▁dialect . ▁Conserv ative ▁and ▁anti - rad ical ▁Burn s ▁clubs ▁spr ang ▁up ▁around ▁Scotland , ▁filled ▁with ▁po ets ▁who ▁fix ated ▁on ▁the ▁" B urn s ▁st anza " ▁as ▁a ▁form . ▁Scottish ▁poetry ▁has ▁been ▁seen ▁as ▁desc ending ▁into ▁inf antal ism ▁as ▁exempl ified ▁by ▁the ▁highly ▁popular ▁Wh ist le ▁B ink ie ▁anth ologies , ▁leading ▁into ▁the ▁sentiment al ▁par och ial ism ▁of ▁the ▁K aily ard ▁school . ▁Po ets ▁from ▁the ▁lower ▁social ▁orders ▁who ▁used ▁Sc ots ▁included ▁the ▁we aver - po et ▁William ▁Thom . ▁Walter ▁Scott , ▁the ▁leading ▁literary ▁figure ▁of ▁the ▁early ▁nin ete enth ▁century , ▁largely ▁wrote ▁in ▁English , ▁and ▁Sc ots ▁was ▁conf ined ▁to ▁dialog ue ▁or ▁interpol ated ▁narr ative , ▁in ▁a ▁model ▁that ▁would ▁be ▁followed ▁by ▁other ▁novel ists ▁such ▁as ▁John ▁G alt ▁and ▁Robert ▁Louis ▁Stevens on . ▁James