A Night Out with Burns

by Robert Burns

The hirelings ran—her foes gied chase,

  And banged the despot weel, man.

  Let Britain boast her hardy oak,

  Her poplar and her pine, man,

  Auld Britain ance could crack her joke,

  And o’er her neighbours shine, man.

  But seek the forest round and round,

  And soon ’twill be agreed, man,

  That sic a tree can not be found,

  ’Twixt London and the Tweed, man.

  Without this tree, alake this life

  Is but a vale o’ woe, man;

  A scene o’ sorrow mixed wi’ strife,

  Nae real joys we know, man.

  We labour soon, we labour late,

  To feed the titled knave, man;

  And a’ the comfort we’re to get

  Is that ayont the grave, man.

  Wi’ plenty o’ sic trees, I trow,

  The warld would live in peace, man;

  The sword would help to mak a plough,

  The din o’ war wad cease, man.

  Like brethren in a common cause,

  We’d on each other smile, man;

  And equal rights and equal laws

  Wad gladden every isle, man.

  Wae worth the loon wha wadna eat

  Sic halesome dainty cheer, man;

  I’d gie my shoon frae aff my feet,

  To taste sic fruit, I swear, man.

  Syne let us pray, auld England may

  Sure plant this far-famed tree, man;

  And blythe we’ll sing, and hail the day

  That gave us liberty, man.

  No I’m not going ten thousand miles from home to help murder and burn another poor nation simply to continue the domination of white slave masters of the darker people the world over. This is the day when such evils must come to an end.

  Muhammad Ali

  The Slave’s Lament

  It was in sweet Senegal that my foes did me enthrall

  For the lands of Virginia-ginia O;

  Torn from that lovely shore, and must never see it more,

  And alas! I am weary, weary O!

  Torn from, &c.

  All on that charming coast is no bitter snow and frost,

  Like the lands of Virginia-ginia O;

  There streams for ever flow, and there flowers for ever blow,

  And alas! I am weary, weary O!

  There streams, &c.

  The burden I must bear, while the cruel scourge I fear,

  In the lands of Virginia-ginia O;

  And I think on friends most dear with the bitter, bitter tear,

  And Alas! I am weary, weary O!

  And I think, &c.

  Our poet knew that earth was perhaps all the paradise that we shall ever know, and the argument of his days was aimed at restoring the sovereignty of decency and fairness. It was not an ideology or a party, a faction or a government that authored a ‘Marseillaise’ to the human spirit, but Robert Burns, a farmer’s son, who died at 37 with a deep conception of what it means to be alive. His greatest poem is not a farewell to the lasses, the drinks, the immortals or the politics, but a rousing welcome to what is best in each of us, for a’ that, as we live and breathe. When the night is over and we make our way home, when the morning is clear and the sky is busy with birds and their songs, we will know our place in the world by the size of our faith in fellowship. It is this conviction which makes Burns the world’s greatest and most loveable poet.

  A Man’s a Man for A’ That

  Is there, for honest Poverty

  That hings his head, and a’ that;

  The coward-slave, we pass him by,

  We dare be poor for a’ that!

  For a’ that, and a’ that,

  Our toils obscure, and 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, and a’ that.

  Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine,

  A Man’s a Man for a’ that.

  For a’ that, and a’ that,

  Their tinsel show, and a’ that;

  The honest man, though e’er sae poor,

  Is king o’ men for a’ that.—

  Ye see yon birkie ca’d a lord,

  Wha struts, and stares, and a’ that,

  Though hundreds worship at his word,

  He’s but a coof for a’ that.

  For a’ that, and a’ that,

  His ribband, star and a’ that,

  The man of independent mind,

  He looks and laughs at a’ that.—

  A prince can mak a belted knight,

  A marquis, duke, and a’ that;

  But an honest man’s aboon his might,

  Gude faith he mauna fa’ that!

  For a’ that, and a’ that,

  Their dignities, and a’ that,

  The pith o’ Sense, and 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, and a’ that.

  For a’ that, and a’ that,

  It’s comin yet for a’ that,

  That Man to Man the warld o’er,

  Shall brothers be for a’ that.—

  Glossary

  A

  aft often

  agley wrong

  aiblins perhaps

  aidle ditch water

  airn iron

  airt direction

  aits oats

  aizle ember

  aqua-fontis spring water

  aquavitae whisky

  ase ashes

  asklent askew

  asteer abroad

  auldfarran sagacious, shrewd

  aumous alms

  ava at all

  awnie bearded

  ayont past

  B

  bair clear

  bairn child

  bakes biscuits

  barley-bree whisky

  batts colic

  bauk cross-beam; bauk-en’ end of a cross-beam

  baws’nt brindled

  bear barley

  bear the gree come off best

  benmost furthest in

  bestead placed

  bicker wooden drinking vessel

  bicker stagger; rush

  bide endure

  bield shelter

  bienly comfortably

  big build

  bill bull

  billie fellow

  birk birch

  birkie lively fellow

  bizz flurry

  blastet cursed; blastie nasty creature

  blate bashful

  blather bladder

  bleeze blaze

  blellum blusterer

  blether talk foolishly

  blink look fondly

  blinker spy, cheat

  blype layer

  boddle copper coin

  boortree elder

  bore crevice

  botch tumour

  bow-kail cabbage

  branks halter, bridle

  brash sudden illness

  brats rags

  brattle hurry

  braw handsome; brawlie admirably

  bree whisky

  brock badger

  brogue trick

  brunstane brimstone

  budget leather bag

  buirdly stalwart

  bum hum; bum-clock humming beetle

  burn stream

  burnewin blacksmith

  butt and ben everywhere

  byke hive; crowd

  C

  ca’d hammered

  cadger travelling hawker

  cadie rascal

  caff chaff

  caird tinker

  calces powders

  calf-ward churchyard

  callet wench

  callor
fresh

  cannie pleasant

  cantie, canty cheerful, lively

  cantraip magic

  carlin witch; old fellow

  cattle beasts

  cavie coop

  change-house ale-house

  chap stroke

  chapman pedlar

  cheek-for-chow cheek by jowl

  cheeks side-pieces

  chiel fellow

  chuck sweetheart

  chuffie portly, fat faced

  clachan village

  clash gossip

  clatter chatter, gossip

  claw scratching

  cleek link hands in a dance; steal; claught clutched

  clew, clue ball of yarn

  clink sit down smartly

  cloot hoof; Cloots the devil

  clout cloth; patch

  coff buy

  cog wooden drinking vessel

  coof lout, fool

  cook dart in and out of sight

  coost looped

  cootie tub

  core band of dancers; party

  cot cottage; cotter cottager, tenant farmer

  cour fold

  court-day rent-day

  couthie loving

  cowe scold, berate

  cowp fell over

  crack gossip, story

  craigie throat

  crank harsh sound

  cranreuch hoar-frost

  creeshie greasy, filthy

  croose, crouse cocksure, merry

  crouchie hump-backed

  crowdie-time breakfast time

  crummock short staff with a crooked head

  crump baked dry

  curmurring rumbling

  curpan backside

  custock kale-stalk

  cutty short

  D

  daffin flirtation, fooling

  dail plank

  daimem-icker occasional ear of corn

  damn’d haet damn all

  daunton cast down

  daut pet, make much of; dawtit spoiled

  dawd hunk

  deil-haet nothing; deil-mak matter no matter

  delver gardener, labourer

  dight wipe dry; winnow

  ding overcome

  dint occasion

  dirk, durk short Highland dagger

  dirl shake

  dizzen work amounting to a day’s spinning

  doited enfeebled; doytan blundering

  donsie hapless

  dorty haughty

  douce, douse sedate

  douk duck

  dow be able

  doylt muddled

  driddle dawdle

  droddum backside

  drouth thirst

  drumlie cloudy; gloomy

  drunt sulks

  dub stagnant pool, puddle

  dud (d) ies, duds clothes; duddie ragged

  dung in beaten into

  E

  eldritch uncanny, frightful

  Erse Gaelic

  ettle purpose

  F

  fa’ befall

  fain glad; fain o’ ither fond of each other

  fairin deserts

  faith ye confound ye

  fash trouble; fash your thumb pay heed

  fatt’rels ribbon ends

  fawsont respectable

  feat trim

  feck most

  fell powerful

  Ferintosh a brand of whisky, exempted from duty in reparation for the damage done to the estates of Forbes of Culloden, the distillery’s owner, by the Jacobites in 1689. The loss of the exemption in 1785 drove up the price of whisky.

  ferlie wonder

  fidge shrug; fidge fu’ fain twitch with excitement

  fient haet nothing

  fiere companion

  fit (t) foot

  fley terrify

  foggage rank grass, winter grazing

  forbye besides

  fou, fu’ drunk; very

  foughten harassed, worn out

  freak fancy

  free clear

  fud backside

  fuff puff

  funny merry

  furr furrow

  fyke commotion

  G

  gab mouth

  gaets habits

  gangrel tramp

  gar make, cause

  gash chat; neat; shrewd

  gate way

  gausy, gawsie fine; plump

  gear possessions, property

  gentles gentry

  Geordie guinea

  gilpey young girl

  gimmer-pet yearling ewe kept as a pet

  gin before

  girdle griddle

  gizz wig

  glaikit foolish

  gloaming twilight

  glowr gaze intently

  glunch scowl

  gowan daisy

  gowd gold

  graip garden fork

  graith ploughing gear; habit

  greet cry

  grozet gooseberry

  grumphie sow

  gruntle nose; grunt

  grushie thriving

  gude-willie-waught generous draught

  gully large knife

  gusty tasty

  gutscraper fiddler

  H

  ha’ folk servants

  haffet temple

  hafflins-wise nearly

  hairst harvest

  hald refuge

  han’-daurk manual labour

  harn coarse linen

  hash waster

  haugh level, fertile land by a river

  haurl drag; peel

  havins good manners

  hav’rel half-wit

  hawkie cow with a white face

  hecht promise

  herd herd-boy

  heugh pit

  hilch limp

  hirple limp; move unevenly

  hizzie whore; silly girl

  hoast cough

  hoddan bumping up and down in the saddle

  hoddin coarse grey homespun cloth

  Hornie the devil

  hotch jerk about

  houghmagandie sex

  houlet owl (et)

  hove make swell

  howck dig up

  howdie midwife

  howe hollow

  hoy’t urged on

  huff scold

  hum take in

  hurchin urchin

  hurdies haunches

  I

  ilka each, every

  J

  jad woman; hussy

  jaukin delay

  jink dodge

  jo sweetheart

  jocteleg clasp-knife

  jow toll

  K

  kae thief

  kail-runt stalk of the kail plant

  kane payment in kind

  kebar rafter

  kebbuck homemade cheese

  keek peek

  kennin little

  kings’-hood paunch

  kintra country

  kirn merrymaking at the end of harvest; churn

  kittle tune up, play; rouse

  kiutle fondle, cuddle

  kye cows

  kythe make known

  L

  lane lonely; her lane by herself; thy-lane by yourself

  lave rest

  lav’rock lark

  lay, lea pasture

  leal loyal

  lear learning

  lee lang whole

  leeze me a blessing on

  leister trident

  lift sky

  limmer mistress

  link skip

  list enlist

  loan milking place

  loot let out

  lowe rage, blaze

  lowp leap; lap leapt; lap the

  hool jumped out of her chest

  lugget caup shallow wooden dish with handles; luggie wooden dish

  lunt puff of smoke; steam

  lyart streaked red and white;

  grey

  M

 
; Mahoun the devil

  mailin smallholding, tenant farm

  man of Uzz Job

  Mar’s-year 1715, when the Earl of Mar led the Jacobite revolt

  mashlum mixed meal

  meikle, muckle great; meikle corn oats

  melder an occasion when a customer’s corn was taken to be ground at the mill

  mell have dealings with

  melvie soil

  men’ repent

  menseless boorish

  messan lap-dog; cur

  midden-hole hole in a dung heap

  mim demure

  mirk dark

  mischanter mishap

  mislear’d mischievous

  mite-horn horn on the harvest-bug modewurk mole

  moop nibble

  muscle mussel

  N

  nappy ale

  nieve fist

  niffer comparison

  noddle head

  norland northern

  O

  o’ boot as well

  orra spare

  outler quey young cow lying out at night

  P

  pack intimate

  pang stuff

  party-match card competition

  pattle, pettle spade used to clean the plough

  peghan stomach

  penny-wheep small beer

  philibeg kilt

  pictur’d beuks playing cards

  plack small coin; plackless penniless

  plaidie tartan cloak

  pliskie trick

  pliver green plover

  plumpet sank

  pock bag

  poortith poverty

  pou, pow, pu pull

  press cupboard

  prie her mou’ kiss her

  pussie hare

  pyke pick at

  pyle grain

  Q