Happy Birthday, Rabbie

Posted on January 25, 2019 by ceayr

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.

Unknown's avatar

About ceayr

A Scot who has discovered peace in a small town he calls Medville on the Côte Vermeille, C.E. Ayr has spent a large part of his life in the West of Scotland and a large part elsewhere. His first job was selling programmes at his local football club and he has since tried 73 other career paths, the longest being in IT, with varying degrees of success. He is somewhat nomadic, fairly irresponsible and, according to his darling daughter, a bit random. So, nobody’s perfect.
This entry was posted in Sound Bite Fiction and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

7 Responses to Happy Birthday, Rabbie

  1. S. Stewart's avatar S. Stewart says:
    January 25, 2019 at 7:10 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • ceayr's avatar ceayr says:
      January 28, 2019 at 7:56 am

      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’.

      Reply
  2. emmylgant's avatar emmylgant says:
    January 25, 2019 at 6:19 pm

    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.

    Reply

Leave a Reply