It’s the birthday of Scotland’s most famous poet, Robert Burns (1759-1796). In his short life, Burns sired twelve offspring, some of them legitimate; and he wrote hundreds of poems and song lyrics, some of them suitable for polite company. When Scottish Television polled its viewers in 2009 on the question of who was the greatest Scot of all time, Robert Burns was the winner (William Wallace was the runner-up).
Scottish folk singer Jean Redpath (1937-2014) and American composer and ethnomusicologist Serge Hovey (1920-1989) teamed up in 1976 to record the complete songs of Robert Burns. Had they completed this rather ambitious project, it would have run to 22 volumes; but Hovey’s death in 1989 meant that only seven volumes were completed. This song appeared in Volume Five.
You’re welcome, Willie Stewart,
You’re welcome, Willie Stewart,
There’s ne’er a flower that blooms in May
That’s half sae welcome’s thou art.
Come, bumpers high, express your joy,
The bowl we maun renew it;
The tappet hen, gae bring her ben,
To welcome Willie Stewart.
You’re welcome, Willie Stewart,
You’re welcome, Willie Stewart,
There’s ne’er a flower that blooms in May
That’s half sae welcome’s thou art.
May foes be strang, and friends be slack
Ilk action, may he rue it;
May woman on him turn her back
That wrangs thee, Willie Stewart.
O lovely Polly Stewart,
O charming Polly Stewart,
There’s ne’er a flower that blooms in May
That’s half so sweet as thou art.
The flower it blaws, it fades, it falls,
And art can ne’er renew it;
But worth and truth, eternal youth
Will gie to Polly Stewart!
O lovely Polly Stewart,
O charming Polly Stewart,
There’s ne’er a flower that blooms in May
That’s half so sweet as thou art.
May he whose arms shall fauld thy charms
Possess a leal and true heart;
To him be given to ken the heaven
He grasps in Polly Stewart.
Jean Redpath. The name brings back memories of Mary Cliff’s weekly folk-music program on WETA-FM in Washington DC. Redpath’s recordings were often featured.
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She was a treasure.
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Lovely, 🙂 — Suzanne
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Reblogged this on Will S.' Sunny Side Blog and commented:
The video isn’t showing for me, but love the poem. Great! Never knew this Burns one; and given my last name, I have to love it (as I do all Burns’ work, anyway)! 😉
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Thank you for reblogging. 🙂
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Normally, I might not have anything worth commenting on this one, but it so happens some commenter at AoS linked to this, so I share:
Prince Charles is visiting an Edinburgh hospital.…
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😀
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Reblogged this on My Blog.
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Thank you for reblogging. 🙂
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Robbie Burns 25th jan 1759 – 21 July 1796 (36y 6m) contemporary of W.A Mozart 27th Jan 1751 – 5 Dec 1791(35y10m).
Kind of supports the old adage only the good die young.
Pity Wolfgang couldn’t have teamed up with Robbie, Lennon & McCartney, eat your hearts out!
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What’s amazing to me is how insanely prolific some of those short-lived artists were. Franz Schubert’s life was even shorter than those of Burns or Mozart, yet he left behind a mind-boggling amount of sublimely wonderful music. All I can figure is these guys never slept.
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Of which his string quintet in C Major, D 956 is the stand out (INMSHO) the adagio, incomparable!
Yes and perhaps that’s why they died so young, burnt out, nothing left to give. 😦
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You’re a Schubert lover! I knew there was something about you I liked! 😀
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A lovely post about the great poet, Robert Burns.
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[…] Happy birthday, Robbie […]
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