Address to a Haggis is definitely more
famous, but here’s the one that matches my own taste J
__________
Scotch
Drink
By Robert
Burns
Gie him strong drink
until he wink,
That's sinking in
despair;
An' liquor guid to fire
his bluid,
That's prest wi' grief
and care:
There let him bouse,
an' deep carouse,
Wi' bumpers flowing
o'er,
Till he forgets his
loves or debts,
An' minds his griefs no
more.
Solomon's Proverbs, xxxi. 6, 7.
Let other
poets raise a fracas
"Bout
vines, an' wines, an' drucken Bacchus,
An'
crabbit names an'stories wrack us,
An' grate
our lug:
I sing
the juice Scotch bear can mak us,
In glass
or jug.
O thou,
my muse! guid auld Scotch drink!
Whether
thro' wimplin worms thou jink,
Or,
richly brown, ream owre the brink,
In
glorious faem,
Inspire
me, till I lisp an' wink,
To sing
thy name!
Let husky
wheat the haughs adorn,
An' aits
set up their awnie horn,
An' pease
and beans, at e'en or morn,
Perfume
the plain:
Leeze me
on thee, John Barleycorn,
Thou king
o' grain!
On thee
aft Scotland chows her cood,
In souple
scones, the wale o'food!
Or
tumblin in the boiling flood
Wi' kail
an' beef;
But when
thou pours thy strong heart's blood,
There
thou shines chief.
Food
fills the wame, an' keeps us leevin;
Tho'
life's a gift no worth receivin,
When
heavy-dragg'd wi' pine an' grievin;
But, oil'd
by thee,
The
wheels o' life gae down-hill, scrievin,
Wi'
rattlin glee.
Thou
clears the head o'doited Lear;
Thou
cheers ahe heart o' drooping Care;
Thou
strings the nerves o' Labour sair,
At's
weary toil;
Though
even brightens dark Despair
Wi'
gloomy smile.
Aft, clad
in massy siller weed,
Wi'
gentles thou erects thy head;
Yet,
humbly kind in time o' need,
The poor
man's wine;
His weep
drap parritch, or his bread,
Thou
kitchens fine.
Thou art
the life o' public haunts;
But thee,
what were our fairs and rants?
Ev'n
godly meetings o' the saunts,
By thee
inspired,
When
gaping they besiege the tents,
Are
doubly fir'd.
That
merry night we get the corn in,
O
sweetly, then, thou reams the horn in!
Or reekin
on a New-year mornin
In cog or
bicker,
An' just
a wee drap sp'ritual burn in,
An' gusty
sucker!
When
Vulcan gies his bellows breath,
An'
ploughmen gather wi' their graith,
O rare!
to see thee fizz an freath
I' th'
luggit caup!
Then
Burnewin comes on like death
At every
chap.
Nae mercy
then, for airn or steel;
The
brawnie, banie, ploughman chiel,
Brings
hard owrehip, wi' sturdy wheel,
The
strong forehammer,
Till
block an' studdie ring an reel,
Wi'
dinsome clamour.
When
skirling weanies see the light,
Though
maks the gossips clatter bright,
How
fumblin' cuiffs their dearies slight;
Wae worth
the name!
Nae
howdie gets a social night,
Or plack
frae them.
When
neibors anger at a plea,
An' just
as wud as wud can be,
How easy
can the barley brie
Cement
the quarrel!
It's aye
the cheapest lawyer's fee,
To taste
the barrel.
Alake!
that e'er my muse has reason,
To wyte
her countrymen wi' treason!
But mony
daily weet their weason
Wi'
liquors nice,
An'
hardly, in a winter season,
E'er
Spier her price.
Wae worth
that brandy, burnin trash!
Fell
source o' mony a pain an' brash!
Twins
mony a poor, doylt, drucken hash,
O' half
his days;
An'
sends, beside, auld Scotland's cash
To her
warst faes.
Ye Scots,
wha wish auld Scotland well!
Ye chief,
to you my tale I tell,
Poor,
plackless devils like mysel'!
It sets
you ill,
Wi'
bitter, dearthfu' wines to mell,
Or
foreign gill.
May
gravels round his blather wrench,
An' gouts
torment him, inch by inch,
What
twists his gruntle wi' a glunch
O' sour
disdain,
Out owre
a glass o' whisky-punch
Wi'
honest men!
O Whisky!
soul o' plays and pranks!
Accept a
bardie's gratfu' thanks!
When
wanting thee, what tuneless cranks
Are my
poor verses!
Thou comes-they
rattle in their ranks,
At
ither's a-s!
Thee,
Ferintosh! O sadly lost!
Scotland
lament frae coast to coast!
Now colic
grips, an' barkin hoast
May kill
us a';
For loyal
Forbes' charter'd boast
Is ta'en
awa?
Thae
curst horse-leeches o' the' Excise,
Wha mak
the whisky stells their prize!
Haud up
thy han', Deil! ance, twice, thrice!
There,
seize the blinkers!
An' bake
them up in brunstane pies
For poor
damn'd drinkers.
Fortune!
if thou'll but gie me still
Hale
breeks, a scone, an' whisky gill,
An' rowth
o' rhyme to rave at will,
Tak a'
the rest,
An'
deal't about as thy blind skill
Directs
thee best.
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