After the outbreak of the French Revolution, Burns became an outspoken champion of the Republican cause. His enthusiasm for liberty and social justice dismayed many of his admirers; some shunned or reviled him.
Interest in the works of Robert Burns was high in France during the 19th century and there were a number of translations of his work published in various journals but it was not until Leon De Wailly’s edition of 1843 that a large number of poems appeared in one volume in French.