ROBBIE BURNS (1759 - 96) SCOTIA'S FAVOURITE POET !
THIS POEM IS DEDICATED TO JOOLES ~ A WEE SCOTS LASSIE
THE POEM ~ NAE THE TOOTHACHE ~ HUGS BRIAN !
My curse upon yer venom'd stang
That shoots my tortur'd gums alang
An thro ma lug gies mony a twang
Wi gnawing vengance
Tearing ma nerves wi bitter pang
Like racking engines
When fevers burn ~ or ague freezes
Rheumatics gnaw ~ or colic freezes
Our neebours sympathise to ease us
Wi pitying moan
But thee ~ thou hell o a' diseases
They mock our groan !
Whare'er that place yon priests ca' hell
Whare a' the tones o misery yell
An ranked plagues their numbers tell
In dreadful raw
Thou Toothache ~ surely bears the bell
Amang them a'!
O thou grim mischief-making chiel
That gars the notes o dischord squeel
Till human kind aft dance a reel
In gore a shoe-thick
Gie a' the faes o Scotland's weal
A towmond's TOOTHACHE !
Hope you understood it ~ Thanks for reading
comments welcome ~ Love to All ~ BRIAN ~ XOX
GLOSSARY: Stang = sting Twang = twinge Lug = ear
Chiel = child Gars = makes Towmond's = twelve month's
The meter (and rhyming pattern) is AULD HABBIE or BURNS METER
8 (a) 8 (a) 8 (a) 4 (b) 8 (a) 4 (b) It is this meter and rhyming
pattern that makes it so delightful to hear and recite ! I have had
the privilege of giving "The Toast to the Immortal Bard" at several
Burns' Suppers including the recitation of Burns' Poetry !
-
Author:
BRIANSODES (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: April 7th, 2017 03:11
- Comment from author about the poem: ROBERT BURNS (1759 ~ 96) was the Son of a Crofter and a satyracist against the Burghers o Edinburgh who sought to ban Auld Scots dialect ~ the kilt and bagpipes. Paradoxically Burns was adored in the middle class drawing rooms of Edinburgh reciting his iconoclastic poem like "To a Mouse". He is Scotland's most famous and beloved Poet ! I Love Burns ~ because he is a performance Poet ~ written to be recited ~ all you have to learn is the Auld Scots dialect ! At a Burns Supper you must get it right and be able to recite "To a Haggis" from memory and wi' a' the actions. Burns is a spontaneous poet (To a Toothache is an example) and even "To a Haggis" was composed spontaneously at the table ~ following a request ! A spontaneous Burns' Poetry reading ~ where individuals accept the challenge to recite a poem ~ is always a fun evening ~ so why not organise one next January ~ together wi' a Burns' Supper o Haggis neaps an' tatties an a wee dram o Single Malt Whiskey ! Comments welcome ~ A wee deoch and doris (parting drink) afor ye gang awa' ~ tae a' ~ BRIAN XOX
- Category: Humor
- Views: 131
Offline)
Comments9
A fine write. You speaking French there?! That ache is a 'beastie' as Burns wrote of the mouse!
Thanks "O" no that's Auld Scots which is a dialect of ENGLISH ! Thanks for your comment ~ A toothache is the worst of all infliction not because of the pain ~ but mainly because it spoils the joy of eating and drinking. Getting a toothache just before a banquet is HELL ! BRIAN
Oohhh I wouldn't know B. Not been to many banquets! lol.
I love this! Love the language 😀 love the style!! It's fab! Never ever (touch wood) had toothache though......nor do I ever want to ....your poem sounds painful 😅
Thanks JOOLES ~ Auld Scots is a very beautiful dialect ~ even better spoken than read ~ as you will know better than most ! It was only after I had dedicated it to you that i realised the topic was not really appropriate for such a lovely Lady ! Pleased you liked it ~ You could have been a MOUSE (inappropriate) or a DAISY (more appropriate). We were taught the meaning of Burns' Poems (and how to recite them !) by a Scot Teacher at School in Liverpool ~ OK. You are very lucky never to have had a TOOTHACHE ~ they are as painful as Burns states ! My Uncle (by marriage) is from Edinburgh and he got the Sunday Post (love it) wi' Oor Wally an the Broons ! Highland Hugs ~ BRIAN
Oor wully is the best lol
Just superb - great piece of poetry and begging to be read.
Thanks MICHAEL ~ YES great to recite ~ there are other more dialectical verses ! BRIAN
Wow. Quite talented you are Brian. This is a real pain in the tooth 🙂 Nice job.
Thanks HONEY ~ I love dialect poems ~ a challenge to recite especially when you have NATIVE SPEAKERS in the audience ! Highland Hugs ~ BRIAN
I once had a Scottish carpenter in my charge in NYC when he spoke... I just said ok what ever because I could not understand a word he said he was a good and honest man so it did work out in the end...anyway loved your wee poem Brain me laddie. WW
Very true WILLY~ Especially if ye dinna ken yon brogue ! BRIAN
Great write and great tribute to Robert Burn one of my favorite writers
Thanks TONY ~ pleased you are a FAN o the Immortal Bard ~ BRIAN
Welcome
Great fun write, a good thing to come out of Scotland but not as good as the Laphroaig that comes from there.
THANKS BROTHER ~Robbie Burns and Single Malt are just 2 of the 100 reasons why we want to keep Scotland in the Union ! LAPHROAIG LORE Scotland's finest single malt for over 200 years. A very appropriate wee dram to toast the Immortal Bard on Burns Night (January 25) ~ Worth every bawbee at £100 ($130) per bottle (7 year old single malt). This why we don't drink it ~ we just uncork and smell it ~ then pop it back in the cellar ! BRIAN
A challenge to read but you made this easier with the side notes. You did a spectacular job! Educated me once again. Would have been awesome to hear read aloud. Fantastic! Hugs-Christina
THANKS CHRIS ~ Pleased you appreciated it ~ You can get Readings of Burns Poems on YOU TUBE ~ they sound amazing. The Burn's meter and rhyming pattern is great once you master it ~ Some verses have 9 syllables but it is consistent ! Robbie had a lot of licence not just poetic. He died at 36 but still managed to Father 12 children to FOUR different ladies ! Don't blame the ladies ~ he was very handsome and charming ! Highland Hugs ~ BRIAN
This is great Brian it just roles of the tongue delightfully, quite an education for me with some of the phrases and wording, very much enjoyed.
BURNS was a performance poet and his poems are written to be recited ~ but ye mus' master the Auld Scots brogue ! All his well known poems are in this meter and it is a challenge to try and write one and an even bigger challenge to try and recite it ! Yours BRIAN
To be able to comment and rate this poem, you must be registered. Register here or if you are already registered, login here.