It's Burns Night

Scotland's national poet, Robert (Rabbie) Burns was an amazing man.
a favourite son

His work has influenced past US and Russian leaders, current musicians, artists, authors and world leaders. He is taught widely in Russia and Japan, and a national celebration is held in Scotland every year on his birthday.

Whilst at school in 1978 I won the school prize for reciting his work and it remains my only proudest achievement from my childhood. The poem I learned was this:

Is there for honest poverty
That hangs his head, and all that?
The coward slave, we pass him by -
We dare be poor for all that!
For all that, and all that,
Our toils obscure, and all that,
The rank is but the guinea's stamp,
The man's the gold for all that.

What though on homely fare we dine,
Wear course grey woolen, and all that?
Give fools their silks, and knaves their wine -
A man is a man for all that.
For all that, and all that,
Their tinsel show, and all that,
The honest man, though ever so poor,
Is king of men for all that.

Then let us pray that come it may
(As come it will for a' that)
That Sense and Worth over all the earth
Shall have the first place and all that!
For all that, and all that,
It is coming yet for all that,
That man to man the world over
Shall brothers be for all that.

I have printed the anglocised version for those of you that don't have a good Scot's tongue.

If all our world leaders digested the sentiment in verse 3, we would all be in a better state.

I hope you all enjoy your haggis tonight, and a large whisky of course.

Slange to you, all my Blip friends throughout the world.