continuing the Scottish theme...
(Poem #19) John Anderson My Jo John Anderson my jo, John, When we were first acquent, Your locks were like the raven, Your bonny brow was brent; But now your brow is bled, John, Your locks are like the straw, But blessings on your frosty pow, John Anderson my jo! John Anderson my jo, John, We clamb the hill thegither And monie a cantie day, John, We've had wi' ane anither; Now we maun totter down, John, And hand in hand we'll go, And sleep thegither at the foot, John Anderson my jo! |
Glossary of Scots words: jo - joy, sweetheart (a favourite of Scrabble players :-)) acquent - acquainted brent - smooth beld - bald pow - head cantie - cheerful maun - must Not many Englishmen remember the Bard's birthday (the 23rd of April, if you *must* know), but any Scotsman worth his haggis will tell you that Robert Burns was born on the 25th of January - Burns Day. Indeed, Burns' reputation as a national poet has just gone up and up, ever since he dazzled Edinburgh society at the age of 26 with the publication of 'Highland Ballads' (a collection of his own verse and his adaptations of traditional Scottish lyrics (over 200 of them!) collected painstakingly over the years). Burns was one of the forerunners of the Romantic movement, a fact that's very evident in his verse - his use of dialect (some of which, to be frank, would be as untelligible to his original Edinburgh audience as it is to us today), his glorification of sensuality, his love of food and drink and song, of toasting and carousing, his passion for all things Scottish... yet through it all he remains a wonderfully lyrical poet. His phrases reverberate in your head lng after the *content* of his poems is forgotten. thomas.
85 comments: ( or Leave a comment )
Post a Comment