Saturday, February 9, 2013

Apres' Mikey


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 o' a grace
As lang's my arm.                             ( lang = long)
sonsie = jolly/cheerful)

(aboon = above)
(painch = paunch/stomach, thairm = intestine)

....


His knife see rustic Labour dicht,
An' cut you up wi' ready slicht,
Trenching your gushing entrails bricht,
Like ony ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sicht,
Warm-reekin, rich!
(dicht = wipe, here with the idea of sharpening)
(slicht = skill)



(reeking = steaming)

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


(skinkin ware = watery soup)
(jaups = slops about, luggies = two-"eared" (handled)
continental bowls)


1 comment:

  1. Ewwww! No wonder they didn't require that poem for reading in English Lit - Burns would be thrown on the spit! (that's a combo aphorism and pun with a bit of spittle).

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