A Night Out with Burns (12 page)
Read A Night Out with Burns Online
Authors: Robert Burns
N
o 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
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.
O
ur 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 âMarseillaise' 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.
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.â
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.â
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.â
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.â
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.â
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
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
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
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
eldritch
uncanny, frightful
Erse
Gaelic
ettle
purpose
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
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
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
ilka
each, every
jad
woman; hussy
jaukin
delay
jink
dodge
jo
sweetheart
jocteleg
clasp-knife
jow
toll
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
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
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
nappy
ale
nieve
fist
niffer
comparison
noddle
head
norland
northern
o' boot
as well
orra
spare
outler quey
young cow lying out at night
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