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Edited by Frank R. Shaw,
Atlanta, GA, USA email:
jurascot@earthlink.net
Usually
I have a guest writer for this column, but this time it’s my turn! I
continue to read about Robert Burns on a daily basis and never tire of the
many books on or about him that I can put my hands on. I attend my monthly
Burns Club meetings with a degree of regularity. I have spoken at various
gatherings honoring Burns, and I have come to the conclusion that there is
something special about a group of men and women who pay tribute to this
man who died in 1796. I am talking about those who are serious about
Burns. They are just about the best people on earth! Who are these people?
As the old saying goes, “Who’s like us? Damn few, and they are all dead!”
Maybe the following will add a wee bit of light on that question.
Who are these Burns people? L-R: Jack Hume
(Founder and Past President, The Heather and Thistle Society, Houston,
TX), Frank Shaw, Victor Gregg (Vice President, The Burns Club of
Atlanta), and (seated) Walter Watson (President, Robert Burns World
Federation), Burns Night, January 2005, Atlanta, GA. Watson delivered
The Immortal Memory to Burns.
The guys in the photo are gathered around a
Kilmarnock edition of Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect,
(held by Walter Watson). Of the 612 copies published in 1786, it is one of
only 62 or 63 Kilmarnock's known to exist today.
Who Are These Burns People?
Who are these people who gather to read the poetry of Robert Burns, sing
his songs, have a wee dram or two, eat a potluck meal if they are lucky,
and listen to speakers who think they have something new to say about
Scotland’s National Bard?
Who are
these Burns people?
They are many, and they are varied. It does
not matter what station in life they come from. Some are university
scholars, and some are ordinary laymen like most of us. (Since its
inception, this column has been dedicated to the latter group.) Some are
professionals, physicians, small businessmen, teachers, homemakers,
attorneys, engineers, government employees, clerks, judges, professors,
writers, and many are blue-collar workers. You name the profession, and I
guarantee you will find those who love Robert Burns.
Who are these Burns people?
Some may be rich or well off while some manage to get by financially
living from paycheck to paycheck. Most are in between. Expert tailors
provide the clothes for some, while most of us buy clothes off the rack. A
few live in mini-mansions (the new word in American housing today), but
the majority live in middle-class homes.
Who are these Burns people?
Many have university degrees, both
undergraduate and graduate, while the majority may have only high school
diplomas. Some have a well-appointed Burns’ library, but the majority has
a cherished volume or two. Some can quote Burns “till they are blue in the
face”; others of us have a hard time reading the words of Burns from
“My Luv Is Like A Red, Red Rose” to “Scots What Hae?”
Who are these Burns people?
Some are from Scotland but most live down the
street, born and bred here in the States. These Burns people collect items
consisting of mauchline ware, postcards, flasks, jugs, china, pictures,
stamps, envelopes, paintings, medals, coins, bookends, to name a few,
which are lovingly referred and known the world over as Burnsiana. On
e-Bay you can find a daily market on this Burns ware. The list consists of
several hundred items related to Burns and is there because these Burns
people desire to own something that reminds them of him. I frequent this
site on a daily basis.
Who are these Burns people?
They put on black tie or Bonnie Prince Charlie
dress to celebrate his birthday on January 25th each year, the
highlight of their year honoring Robert Burns. They raise their glasses in
his memory, sometimes too many times, and they have the nerve to ask a
speaker to present “The Immortal Memory” to Burns knowing
that there are over 5,000 books written on or about him, and never ask,
“What is left to be said about Burns that has not already been said?”
Who are these Burns people?
You’ll find beautiful solos of Burns sung by professional singers like
Jean Redpath or Eddi Reader. Then there is our own local talent who take a
back seat to none. These Burns followers are ordinary people who may
mistakenly quote a song as a poem, but they mean no harm. They simply love
the man they call “Rabbie”!
Who are these Burns people?
Well, they go to Scotland and visit the place where he was born and the
home where Burns died and all the farms in between where he basically
worked himself to death trying to provide for his family. They attend
conferences around the world and at home to learn more about him. They
sign up for cruises that feature speakers on Robert Burns, and they are
aware there is a library in Glasgow that houses over 5,000 volumes (many
of them which probably never should have been written) on or about Burns.
They are now beginning to learn there is a library on this side of the
pond at the University of South Carolina that houses nearly as many
volumes on Burns as the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. No other Burns
library in North America outranks it, thanks to a man named Ross Roy and a
man named Patrick Scott and an interested staff who are there to assist
anyone who is interested in learning about Burns.
Who are these Burns people?
More often than not, they gather at a hotel
for their Burns Club meeting to enjoy a meal, eat haggis if it is
available, and down it with a wee dram. Yet, these people who meet to pay
tribute to Scotland’s National Bard all have one common denominator - they
love Robert Burns. They come from all walks of life. One thing is certain,
they meet as equals. They meet as one! They proudly are called Burnsians!
Robert Burns does that to people. And, more than not, they all join hands
to conclude their meetings by singing a song that was written by Robert
Burns - “Auld Lang Syne”. (FRS: 7-29-05) |
