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Celebrated as Scotland’s national bard, Rabbie Burns (1759-1796) was not only a genius for his time, but out of time and beyond..a farmer turned poet, a revolutionary, a pioneer and most tellingly, a visionary.
Since his untimely death in 1796 at the age of 37, Rabbie’s spirit has girdled the world in poetry and song. By turns rousing, couthie, perceptive and romantic, his body of work is the legacy of a soul unique in history and representative of a zeitgeist for now as much as for then.
Bugger waiting for Burn’s night to exhibit the man’s brilliance, i’m ahamed it’s taken me so long, however let’s start with ‘A Man’s a Man for A’ That’ and for those who fail to understand and wish for a translation..you can take a big fat flying f**k to yourselves. Thank you! :wink:
A Man’s a Man for A’ ThatIs there for honesty poverty
That hings his head, an’ a’ that;
The coward slave – we pass him by,
We dare be poor for a’ that!
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
Our toils obscure an’ a’ that,
The rank is but the guinea’s stamp,
The man’s the gowd for a’ that.What though on hamely fare we dine,
Wear hoddin grey, an’ a’ that?
Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine,
A man’s a man for a’ that.
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
Their tinsel show, an’ a’ that,
The honest man, tho’ e’er sae poor,
Is king o’ men for a’ that.Ye see yon birkie ca’d a lord,
Wha struts, an’ stares, an’ a’ that;
Tho’ hundreds worship at his word,
He’s but a coof for a’ that.
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
His ribband, star, an’ a’ that,
The man o’ independent mind
He looks an’ laughs at a’ that.A price can mak a belted knight,
A marquise, duke, an’ a’ that;
But an honest man’s aboon his might,
Gude faith, he maunna fa’ that!
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
Their dignities an’ a’ that,
The pith o’ sense, an’ pride o’ worth,
Are higher rank than a’ that.Then let us pray that come it may,
(As come it will for a’ that,)
That Sense and Worth, o’er a’ the earth,
Shall bear the gree, an’ a’ that.
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
That man to man, the world o’er,
Shall brithers be for a’ that.Rabbie Burns
For Ruby..
Bonnie Lesley
O SAW ye bonnie Lesley
As she gaed o’er the Border?
She ‘s gane, like Alexander,
To spread her conquests farther.To see her is to love her,
And love but her for ever;
For Nature made her what she is,
And ne’er made sic anither!Thou art a queen, fair Lesley,
Thy subjects we, before thee:
Thou art divine, fair Lesley,
The hearts o’ men adore thee.The Deil he couldna scaith thee,
Or aught that wad belang thee;
He’d look into thy bonnie face
And say, ‘I canna wrang thee!’The Powers aboon will tent thee,
Misfortune sha’na steer thee:
Thou’rt like themsel’ sae lovely,
That ill they’ll ne’er let near thee.Return again, fair Lesley,
Return to Caledonie!
That we may brag we hae a lass
There ‘s nane again sae bonnie!
you must have missed me and rubes having a tot of whisky on the night esme, we had haggis and everything!
good stuff 8)
@sharongooner wrote:
you must have missed me and rubes having a tot of whisky on the night esme, we had haggis and everything!
good stuff 8)
I had a gaggle of lairy musicians in my sitting room at that time; amidst the shenanigans of song, speech and veggie-haggis, I toasted the Bard with nowt stronger than a wee (diet) Irn bru.
we went to a Burns night up the legion, and I have to say it beat the St Georges do hands down. Everybody joined in with the blessing of the haggis and poems (some rather norty ones) were read, and many donned their kilts.
It was a great celebration. Then me and Rubes partied on here.
Some of his stuff was pretty near the mark, he’d have been banned from the Legion in this modern era! :lol:
As a lover of all animals but the Hare in particular, I am particularly moved by Burns’ pithy vocabulary here. Tender and angry by turns, this says much about the gentle heart and equitable nature of the author..
The Wounded Hare
Inhuman man! curse on thy barb’rous art,
And blasted by thy murder-aiming eye;
May never pity soothe thee with a sigh,
Nor never pleasure glad thy cruel heart!Go live, poor wanderer of the wood and field,
The bitter little of life that remains!
No more the thickening brakes and verdant plains
To thee shall home, or food, or pastime yield.Seek, mangled wretch, some place of wonted rest,
No more of rest, but now of dying bed!
The sheltering rushes whistling o’er thy head,
The cold earth with thy bloody bosom Crest.Oft as by winding Nith I, musing, wait
The sober eve, or hail the cheerful dawn,
I’ll miss thee sporting o’er the dewy lawn,
And curse the ruffian’s aim, and mourn thy hapless fate.You’re gonna hate me for saying this esme, but I’ve never really been particularly enamoured with Rabbie Burns.
Burns night is like Halloween for me, something to be tolerated rather than enjoyed.
@johnboy25 wrote:
You’re gonna hate me for saying this esme, but I’ve never really been particularly enamoured with Rabbie Burns.
Burns night is like Halloween for me, something to be tolerated rather than enjoyed.
*Lynches Johnboy frae Burns Statue Square, Ayr.*
You’ve probably grown up with all the old Burns staples JB..but try stepping away from the Burns sideshow and the tartan and the shortbread imagery..to find the philosopher in the man.
If that disnae work..I may have to petition Parliament to have you declared a sassenach. :wink:You’ve probably grown up with all the old Burns staples JB..but try stepping away from the Burns sideshow and the tartan and the shortbread imagery..to find the philosopher in the man.
You could apply that same theory to Bin Laden and I still wouldn’t have an especially high opinion of him :lol:
@johnboy25 wrote:
You’ve probably grown up with all the old Burns staples JB..but try stepping away from the Burns sideshow and the tartan and the shortbread imagery..to find the philosopher in the man.
You could apply that same theory to Bin Laden and I still wouldn’t have an especially high opinion of him :lol:
“Taxi for Mr. Johnboy..just heave him out somewhere past Gretna..once he’s been stripped of his See-You-Jimmy hat n’ wig ensemble and tartan jock-strap”
Btw..yon Bin Laden’s TO A CAMEL is worth a squinty..
Big ganglous stupid lumpy hisser
Oh what a panic’s in your pis.ser
You needn’t run away from me
t’was Ahmed who gave you the std… :lol:
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