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Tuesday 25 January 2011

Burns Night

Tonight is Burns Night, and if things were at all fair, I would be sat at home now waiting for my haggis, 'neeps and 'tatties ... and a small tot of the 'water of life'.

But I am not. I am presently sat in my office, waiting for the 'Open Evening' to start at 6.00pm. This is when prospective students have the opportunity to pay us a visit, look around, ask questions ... and then go elsewhere to study.

The management have provided food and drink for us ... but unfortunately I do not like cold, spicy Caribbean food. I did manage to drink a plastic cupful of apple juice (supplies ran out before I managed to get a second one), but I will have to wait until I get home before I can eat my Burns Night Supper.

Address to a Haggis
By Robert Burns


Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o the puddin'-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy of a grace
As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o need,
While thro your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An cut you up wi ready slight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like onie ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin, rich!

Then, horn for horn, they stretch an strive:
Deil tak the hindmost, on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve
Are bent like drums;
The auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
'Bethankit' hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout,
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad mak her spew
Wi perfect sconner,
Looks down wi sneering, scornfu view
On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckless as a wither'd rash,
His spindle shank a guid whip-lash,
His nieve a nit:
Thro bloody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread,
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll make it whissle;
An legs an arms, an heads will sned,
Like taps o thrissle.

Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies:
But, if ye wish her gratefu prayer,
Gie her a Haggis!

6 comments:

  1. I try and celebrate Burns night as often as possible...whisky being my favourite tipple. Hope you have a good glass of the water of life.
    Slainte Mhath!
    Paul

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  2. As it happens I have just arrived in God's own country - after an easy but rather dull 6 hour drive. No Burns Supper here either!

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  3. I'm sure the supper was well worth the wait. We've got parent/teacher meetings tomorrow - cheers!

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  4. Paul's Bods,

    My meal was well worth the wait ... as was the small dram I had with it!

    Sláinte,

    Bob

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  5. Tim Gow,

    How can you be a Scot in Scotland on Burns Night and not have haggis, 'neeps, and 'tatties?

    I urge to make up for this shortcoming with a wee DRAM (just as an alternative to C&C Napoleonics) as soon as possible!

    Sláinte,

    Bob

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  6. Jfidz,

    The supper was all the better for the wait ... and the dram that went with it.

    Enjoy your meeting tomorrow.

    Sláinte,

    Bob

    ReplyDelete

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