Robert Burns by Phil Burns
Robert Burns (1759 – 1796)
January 25th is the birthday of Scotland’s National Bard, the much-loved Robert Burns.
So today, once again, I pay tribute to the great man with some of his own words.
Above all, Rabbie believed that all men were created equal:
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,
It’s coming yet for a’ that,
That Man to Man, the world o’er,
Shall brothers be for a’ that.
bear the gree = come to the fore
But he was also a romantic:
Ye banks and braes o’ bonnie Doon
How can ye bloom sae fresh and fair?
How can ye chaunt, ye little birds,
And I sae weary, fu’ o’ care.
Ye’ll break my heart, ye warbling birds
That wanton through the flowery thorn,
Ye mind me o’ departed joys,
Departed, never to return.
and even in English:
But pleasures are like poppies spread,
You seize the flower, its bloom is shed;
Or like the snow falls in the river,
A moment white–then melts for ever;
Thanks, Rabbie, and Happy Birthday, wherever you are.
Sound Bite Fiction 
http://www.robertburns.org/
I went here in April 2016 in Dumfries and I loved it. You really can feel how he was thought about in Scotland then and now. Happy Birthday Rabbie.
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Thank you, Sheri.
To understand him better you should visit Alloway, his birthplace, now part of Ayr.
Here you can follow the route taken by Tam o’ Shanter in the famous poem, as well as walking along ‘Ye banks and braes o’ bonnie Doon’.
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Ceayr, I hope to do this one day.. my goal is to visit Scotland until I can’t fly any longer.. since I am 51.. I would say that is many, many years… xo
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Aye, Sheri, ye’re still nae mair than a lass.
Plenty miles still left on yir broomstick!
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I hope you like all the posts that are coming up here from my 2017 visit.. I am a wee bit behind….
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Always a pleasure to read (and hear) the words of this exceptional Scot who not only influenced his generation, but continues to do so. Thank you C. E.
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My pleasure, Em.
His influence in your long-time home, the USA, is greatly underestimated.
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