Scottish and cute...what's not to love?
Today is the birthday of poet Robert Burns...
Scottish poet Robert Burns was born on this day in 1759, in Alloway, Ayrshire, Scotland.
Why do I care? Well, I must admit I don't have an excessive fondness for Burns' poetry, which is mostly written in a sometimes unintelligible Scots dialect. Here's a sample, from the poem "To a Mouse":
Wee, sleekit, cow'rin', tim'rous beastie,
O what a panic's in thy breastie !
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi' bickering brattle !
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee
Wi' murd'ring pattle !
(By the way, that's the poem that contains the famous lines: "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men /Gang aft a-gley..."
So why am I fascinated with Robert Burns? Well, for a couple of reasons--firstly, I have an affinity for all things Scottish and have longed to visit Scotland for years.
And, here's a confession: I've had a little crush on Robert Burns ever since I first saw his picture when I was a teenager. There are not that many likenesses of Burns, but in every one of them, he looks remarkably handsome. Can't you just imagine a Scottish accent coming out of that face? Gerard Butler, you've got nothing on Robbie! :)
It's pretty amazing that Burns' birthday continues to be celebrated around the world--even right where I live, in Northern Illinois--with "Burns suppers." This from Wikipedia:
The format of Burns suppers has not changed since Robert's death in 1796. The basic format starts with a general welcome and announcements followed with the Selkirk Grace. Just post the grace comes the piping and cutting of the Haggis, where Robert's famous Address To a Haggis is read, and the haggis is cut open. The event usually allows for people to start eating just after the haggis is presented. This is when the reading called the 'immortal memory', an overview of Robert's life and work is given; the event usually concludes with the singing of Auld Lang Syne.<
Originally posted on January 24, 2008
No comments:
Post a Comment