"The Twa Dogs"

[Owned_by_Cai!]

Due to being a Scot, I have a great love of Robert Burns (a famous Scots poet) and his work, as I was brought up listening to and reciting his poetry at school.

It was Burns Night a few nights ago, and whilst I searched for the "Ode to a Haggis" I came across a poem I love, "The Twa Dogs" by Robert Burns. It is his take on what two dogs, who come from rich and poor families respectively, think of thier masters and their lives.

I love it, I think it is fantastic, and the site I found has the translation, as Scots is basically a different language :p

It is a long one, but its well worth the read if you have a spare 15 minutes, and Id be interested what those outside Scotland have to say of it :)

This is the first verse:

'Twas in that place o' Scotland's isle,
That bears the name o' auld King Coil,
Upon a bonnie day in June,
When wearin' thro' the afternoon,
Twa dogs, that were na thrang at hame,
Forgather'd ance upon a time.
The first I'll name, they ca'd him Caesar,
Was keepit for 'his Honor's' pleasure:
His hair, his size, his mouth, his lugs,
Shew'd he was nane o' Scotland's dogs;
But whalpit some place far abroad,
Whare sailors gang to fish for cod.

and it continues (with the translation) here:

http://www.worldburnsclub.com/poems/translations/521.htm

[Borzoi mad]

Hi that is a bit of a co-incidence as I posted this poem not long ago on another forum.so thanks for the link to the Burns Club with the translation.

I too am a lover of Burns and his poetry in fact my web page is named Burn's Country Hounds, cause I have hounds and I live in Ayrshire.I am very proud to be a founder member of the Irvine Lasses Burns Club, though have not attended meetings for a few years now due to other commitments, but still like to read the poems
and songs of our National Bard.

Thanks again for posting this

[skunkstripe]

That was very enjoyable - I admit that I read only the translation. :) I've not been exposed to Burns very much and am grateful for the chance to be directed toward something like this. Thank you!

[Borzoi mad]

I am Glad you liked it and I am sure Owned by Cai will be too.

You have the same forename as Robet Burn's wife Jean Armour
whose Father Was a Kirk Elder ( an elder of the Church of Scotland) and who did not approve of his daughter marrying a poor womanising ploughman like Burns, and sent her to stay with an Aunt in Paisley, a place in those days famouse for its weavng (You will have heard of the "Paisley Pattern " welll this came about by the weavers in Paisley weaving this pattern into cloth to be used to make shawls, scaves and things)
well this inspired Burns to write "The Gallant Weaver" which begins Where Cart (The river which runs through the town of Paisley) rin's (runs) rowin (rolling) to the sea ,By mony a flower and spreaading tree, There lives a lad the lad for me, He is a Gallant Weaver etc. In this poem Burns is scared Jean's father is going to give her hand to a weaver, but she comes back to her village of Mauchline and Burns wins her in the end.

Ita s long time since I have been in the centre of Paisley, but when I was a little girl this was one of the songs which the Town Hall Clock played.

[Owned_by_Cai!]

That is a fair conincedence, and Skunkstripe, Im glad you liked it :)

His poems and songs are always really uplifting to me, and a certian few remin me of a school project my mother helped me write in primary school on his life and work :)

The amount that he has written is absoultley phenomenal considering he only lived to 37 and it seems he took insperation from everything he saw and felt, I wish I had even a hundredth of his ability to translate the world on to paper as he did! He must have been an interesting person to talk to!

[Borzoi mad]

His poems and songs are always really uplifting to me, and a certian few remin me of a school project my mother helped me write in primary school on his life and work

The amount that he has written is absoultley phenomenal considering he only lived to 37 and it seems he took insperation from everything he saw and felt, I wish I had even a hundredth of his ability to translate the world on to paper as he did! He must have been an interesting person to talk to!


Have to agree what a talent .

It is so nice to think that a lowly ploughman from Ayrshire has had his works translated into so many different Languages throughout the world.

And that we are still celebrating his birthday every year .
Did you see the Burns' programme last night on BBC2 ? if so you will know that Caron Dunbar summed this up by saying "Do you think that people will be celebrating Pam Ayres birthday 100 years on LOL

[Owned_by_Cai!]

I missed it unfortunatley, but she did sum up rather well!:p

[Borzoi mad]

I missed it unfortunatley, but she did sum up rather well!:p


Yes she did but


Apart from a few other similar remarks from her and a lady who sang a song one of the Bawdy one's from his time spent in the taverns in Edinburgh and which was never published in Burns' time as it was considered too near the bone and was only published I think they said around 1970, you really did not miss much.

[sheplovr]

Very Very nice, enjoyed it alot. thanks for posting it up for us....:)