Highland Bagpiper For Funerals, Special Occasions and Events
  • Home
  • Tunes
  • Booking
    • Payment Info
  • Reviews
  • Photo Gallery
    • Uniforms

Address to a Haggis

29/1/2018

0 Comments

 

Robert Burns

1759-1796
Probably Scotland's most famous poet, over 200 years later Robert Burns is beloved the world over. Though, during his life he was not as loved continually as he was thought to be a crown sympathizer at times. January 25th the world over, people hold dinners to celebrate his birth and read a few of his poems but being that are written in Scots it isn't so easy.

​One of the few times a year, bagpipers are guaranteed a job if they desire and the only gig all year I believe we are truly respected and welcomed by the harshest of music critics. I always enjoy piping in the haggis to A Man's A Man For A That ​and piping other loved tunes. Did you know that there is another day everyone recites a poem of his? It's New Years Day when people sing Auld Lang Syne​.

​The past couple years I have piped a private event in St. Petersburg, Florida and have enjoyed it as the hosts invite those without much knowledge of Rabbie, Scotland, bagpipes or haggis (which a lack of haggis knowledge is a good thing). Scotland's Favorite Son was an advocate of his history and preserving a small piece of it within his works. As in his poem, Scots Wae Hae:

Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled,
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led;
Welcome to your gory bed,
         Or to victory!

Now's the day, and now's the hour;
See the front o' battle lour;
See approach proud Edward's power--
         Chains and slavery!

​Those are just two stanzas and you can see the rest online but you get a quick sense of what he is speaking of, especially if you've seen Braveheart (though a very historically inaccurate movie). Or here in Address to a Haggis:

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 worthy o' a grace
As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o need,
While thro your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An cut you up wi ready slight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like onie ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin, rich!


0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    July 2020
    May 2020
    December 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    December 2016
    December 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    July 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013

    Categories

    All
    Bagpiping
    Beach
    Birthday
    Ceremony Music
    Clearwater
    Dunedin
    Fallen Soldier
    First Responder
    Florida
    Funeral
    Hillsborough County
    Live Music
    Manatee County
    Musician
    Orlando
    Palm Harbor
    Party
    Pasco County
    Patriotic
    Pinellas County
    Piper
    Sarasota
    Sarasota County
    Tampa
    Tampa Bay
    Weddings

    RSS Feed

Instruments

Great Highland Bagpipes

Scottish Small Bagpipes


Picture

Company

Tunes Available

Contact Info





Copyright © 2011-2021

Bagpiping at Berks County, Chambersburg, Chester County, Christiana, Coatesville, Collegeville, Columbia, Cumberland County, Dauphin County, Elizabethtown, Ephrata, Gap, Gettysburg, Harrisburg, Hershey, Intercourse, King of Prussia, Lancaster, Lancaster County, Lititz, Lampeter, Lebanon, Lebanon County, Maytown, Morgantown, Middletown, Montgomery County, Mt Joy, New Holland, Northumberland County, Oxford, Parkesburg, Pheonixville, Philadelphia, Pottstown, Reading, Schuylkill County, Strasburg, Quarryville, West Chester, Willow Street, Wilmington, York, York County, and many more!

Photo used under Creative Commons from garlandcannon
  • Home
  • Tunes
  • Booking
    • Payment Info
  • Reviews
  • Photo Gallery
    • Uniforms