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) |
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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