Thousands gather to celebrate birthday of Robert Burns
THEY came in their thousands to celebrate the birthday of one of Scotland's most famous sons.
Gathering in churches, parading through the streets and feasting on haggis, neeps and tatties, crowds joined together to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns.
Events were held across Burns country to toast the Bard and kick off Homecoming 2009, a series of events throughout the year that, it is hoped, will prove a much needed tonic to the Scottish economy
Free Willie's Poem wrote: "Holy Willie's prayer" is a poem that was written about a certain Willie Fisher who was an elder in the Parish church of Mauchline, in Ayrshire. Fisher was a hypocrite"
O Lord, Thou kens what zeal I bear, When drinkers drink, an' swearers swear, An' singing here, an' dancin there, (Robert Burns)
Yup, especially that there singin' and dancin's the stuff of sin.
"Holy Willie's prayer" is a poem that was written about a certain Willie Fisher who was an elder in the Parish church of Mauchline, in Ayrshire. Fisher was a hypocrite"
[Must hae bin yon Arminius Loons!]
"O Thou, that in the heavens does dwell, As it pleases best Thysel', Sends aen to Heaven an' ten to Hell, For Thy glory, And no for onie or ill They've done afore Thee!
I bless and praise Thy matchless might, When thousands Thou hast left in night, That I am here afore Thy sight, For gifts an' grace A burning and a shining light To a' this place.
What was I, or my generation, That I should get sic exaltation? I wha deserv'd most just damnation For broken laws, Six thousand years 'ere my creation, Thro' Adam's cause.
When from my mither's womb I fell, Thou might hae plung'd me deep in hell, To gnash my gums, and weep and wail, In burnin lakes, Where damned devils roar and yell, Chain'd to their stakes.
Yet I am here a chosen sample, To show thy grace is great and ample; I'm here a pillar o' Thy temple, Strong as a rock, A guide, a buckler, and example, To a' Thy flock.
O Lord, Thou kens what zeal I bear, When drinkers drink, an' swearers swear, An' singing here, an' dancin there, (Robert Burns)
"Gathering in churches, parading through the streets and feasting on haggis, neeps and tatties, crowds joined together to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns."
"He had little regular schooling and got much of his education from his father, who taught his children reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, and history and also wrote for them A Manual Of Christian Belief."
Evidently though, not all of this Manual sank in: "His casual love affairs did not endear him to the elders of the local kirk and created for him a reputation for dissoluteness amongst his neighbours."
COMMENTS | 
