|
- |
By JESSICA GLASS
Just when you've recovered from the holiday festivities, it's time for another party. And not just any party, but a widely celebrated literary soiree.
I'm referring to a Burns supper, of course, to commemorate Scotland's national bard, Robert Burns, held each year on or around his birthday, Jan. 25. It's a haggis-eating, whisky-drinking good time, from what I hear.
To prepare yourself for the event, you can pick up the new release of a selection of Burns' poetry. Since interaction is encouraged at Burns suppers, you may want to choose a few selections to read, such as "To a Mouse," "The Twa Dogs," "A Red Red Rose" or "Address to a Haggis."
The publishers have very kindly separated the works into sections, such as "Folk-tales for an enlightened age," "Love and sex" and "Scottish cultural history." They've even included a Scots glossary and an index of first lines.
Go ahead and dog-ear the glossary page, because you'll need it. Burns was skilled at writing in Scots and the Ayrshire dialect of the lowlands. You will encounter lines such as: "But wad hae spent an hour caressan, / Ev'n wi a tinkler-gipsy's messan: / At kirk or market, mill or smiddie, / Nae tawtied tyke, tho e'er sae duddie."
Don't be daunted by the language, though. Most is understandable, by context if nothing else. Reading aloud helps, too.
Besides, there's good reason for Burns' enviable spot in the literary canon: Among various other accomplishments, he pioneered the Romantic movement and inspired writers including Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Shelley and William Wordsworth.
The only way to appreciate Burns' skill is by reading his work. And you don't want to be embarrassed at the Burns supper when you don't know all the words to "Auld Lang Syne."
Jessica Glass is a copy editor
Poems By Robert Burns, edited (Everyman's Library, |
