best Burns Quotes?: I'm doing Research for Burns' Night!

[KD Burke]

Last year, I was asked to present the Toast to the Lassies at our annual Burns supper. I'm pleased to say that it went reasonably well and I got good reviews. For what it's worth I "proved" that Tam O'Shanter wasn't chased across the countryside because he interrupted the hideous revelries of a coven of witches , but because he inappropriately complimented a woman on her mini-skirt!

Since I'm still serving on the board, I'm likely to be asked to some role in next year's dinner. To that end, I'm looking for Burns quotes that are particularly memorable.

Any suggestions?

[macwilkin]

Last year, I was asked to present the Toast to the Lassies at our annual Burns supper. I'm pleased to say that it went reasonably well and I got good reviews. For what it's worth I "proved" that Tam O'Shanter wasn't chased across the countryside because he interrupted the hideous revelries of a coven of witches , but because he inappropriately complimented a woman on her mini-skirt!

Since I'm still serving on the board, I'm likely to be asked to some role in next year's dinner. To that end, I'm looking for Burns quotes that are particularly memorable.

Any suggestions?

You could always modify The Bells of Mauchline to The Bells of Jacksonville with ladies from your society:

In Mauchline there dwells six proper young belles,
The pride of the place and its neighbourhood a',
Their carriage and dress, a stranger would guess,
In London or Paris they'd gotten it a'.

Miss Millar is fine, Miss Markland's divine,
Miss Smith she has wit, and Miss Betty is brave,
There's beauty and fortune to get wi' Miss Morton;
But Armour's the jewel for me o' them a'.

We did this many years ago in a "reader's theatre" skit of Burns's life; I recited the poem while walking around the room with a red rose, stopping at various ladies before ending up in front of my wife at the line "But Armour's..." and then giving her the red rose.

T.

[Jimmy]

I find that there are so many magical lines from Burns in so many of his poems.
I never tire from reading his poetry and understanding what he is saying.
Tam O'Shannter is full of great lines all the way through it.
The great lines in To a Mouse and the fabulously philosphical last verse of To a Louse, his love poems - how many quotes can we take from them.
Just to read his poetry at random, flicking through a book of his poems and reading some verse, something always jumps out of you.
There is material in his poems for a million years

[KD Burke]

My thanks to you both!

You'r right about Tam O' Shanter having memorable lines. The loving words of Tam's wife got a good response:

"She told thee weel thou was a skellum;
a blethering, blustering, drunken blellum
That frae November to October
any market day thou was not sober."

"That ilka melder wi' the miller
thou would sit as long as thou had siller
and any naig was ca'd a shoe on,
the smith and thee got roaring fou on!"

"That in the Lord's house e'en on Sunday
thou would drink wi' Kirkton Jean until Monday!"

"She prophesied that late or soon
thou'd be found deep drowned in Doon,
or catched wi' warlocks in the mirk
by Alloway's auld haunted kirk."


(Mis)quoted from memory, so don't beat me up too badly!

[CDNSushi]

We did this many years ago in a "reader's theatre" skit of Burns's life; I recited the poem while walking around the room with a red rose, stopping at various ladies before ending up in front of my wife at the line "But Armour's..." and then giving her the red rose.

T.

Todd's onto something here. I really like that idea. Another poem (song actually) that would work exceedingly well for a short skit or dramatic reading, and using a red rose WOULD be, Burns's My Love is Like a Red Red Rose... It's always been one of my favourites.

O, my luve's like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June.
O, my luve's like the melodie,
That's sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I,
And I will luve thee still, my Dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my Dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun!
O I will luve thee still, my Dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only Luve,
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile!

[MacLowlife]

Burns at the Farmyard.
Robert Burns and his brother Gilbert were leaning over a farm yard wall watching the hens and the cockerel scratching about.
One of the hens gives the cockerel the eye and he starts to strut across the yard to do his manly duty.
Just then the farmer comes out and scatters seed about the yard. The cockerel stops and starts to peck at the seed.
On seeing this Rabbie turns to his brother and says, "Gilbert I pray I will never be as hungry as that"

Women are beautiful and foolish.
Beautiful so that men will love them.
Foolish so that they will love man

Two little boys talking to each other.
I am four. Are you interested in women?
No.
Then you are three.

But your feet are dirtier than mine.
That is because I am a year older.

[Phil]

This one is my favourite from "Ae fond kiss"

''Had we never lov'd sae kindly,
Had we never lov'd sae blindly,
Never met—or never parted,
We had ne'er been broken hearted.''

but the most insightful one, remembering it was written over 200 years ago has to be -

"Then let us pray that come it may,
(As come it will for a' that,)
That Sense and Worth, o'er a' the earth,
Shall bear the gree, an' a' that.
For a' that, an' a' that,
It's coming yet for a' that,
That Man to Man, the world o'er,
Shall brothers be for a' that. "

if only that were true today.

[Peter Crowe]

I have a few favourite lines from Burns:

"From scenes like these Old Scotia's grandeur springs,
That makes her lov'd at home, rever'd abroad:
Princes and lords are but the breath of kings,
'An honest man's the noblest work of God' (Pope)"

From the Cotter's Saturday Night

"O YE whose cheek the tear of pity stains,
Draw near with pious rev’rence, and attend!
Here lie the loving husband’s dear remains,
The tender father, and the gen’rous friend;
The pitying heart that felt for human woe,
The dauntless heart that fear’d no human pride;
The friend of man-to vice alone a foe;
For ev’n his failings lean’d to virtue’s side."

Epitaph on my Ever Honored Father

"Whatever mitigates the woes, or increases the happiness of others,
this is my criterion of goodness;
and whatever injures society at large, or an individual in it,
this is my measure of iniquity."

In a letter from Burns in 1789

[digitalR2]

My favourite one!!

My Heart's In The Highlands

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here,
My heart's in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer;
Chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe,
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go.

Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North,
The birth-place of Valour, the country of Worth ;
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,
The hills of the Highlands for ever I love.

Farewell to the mountains, high-cover'd with snow,
Farewell to the straths and green vallies below;
Farewell to the forests and wild-hanging woods,
Farewell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods.

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here,
My heart's in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer;
Chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe,
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go.

- Robert Burns -

Some illustration:

Glenfinnan Valley


Glenfinnan Viaduct