"Burns Supper"

Schotten vieren de verjaardag van Robert Burns (eigenlijk 25 januari) met een diner, het zogenaamde "Burns Supper". De avond  begint met de whisky waarmee men zal eindigen. Na het infomele wordt er Cock-a-leekie soep geserveerd. Het hoofdgerecht, de haggis, wordt ceremonieel onder begeleiding van doedelzakmuziek naar de tafel gedragen. Daarna wordt; "de ode aan de haggis", een gedicht van Burns, voorgedragen. In het derde strofe wordt de haggis vervolgens opengesneden, om daarna gegeten te wordebn met aardappel- en palsternaakpuree.

De "MacAppelmans" waren vandaag uitgenodigd om het diner bij te wonen.

Address To a Haggis
Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, (sonsie = cheeky)
Great chieftain o' the puddin-race! (aboon = above)
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o' a grace
As lang's my arm.
The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill, (hurdies = hips)
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 dicht, (dicht = wipe)
An' cut you up wi' ready slicht, (slicht = skill)
Trenching your gushing entrails bricht,
Like ony ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sicht,
Warm-reekin, rich! (reeking = steaming)
Then, horn for horn, they stretch an' strive:
Deil tak the hindmaist! on they drive, (deil = devil)
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve, (swall'd=swollen, kytes = bellies, belyve = soon)
Are bent like drums;
Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive, (rive = tear, ie burst)
"Bethankit" hums.
Is there that o're his French ragout
Or olio that wad staw a sow, (olio = olive oil, staw = make sick)
Or fricassee wad mak her spew
Wi' perfect scunner,
Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view
On sic a dinner?
Poor devil! see him ower his trash,
As feckless as a wither'd rash,
His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash,
His nieve a nit; (nieve = fist, nit = louse's egg, ie. tiny)
Thro' bloody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!
But mark the Rustic, haggis fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread.
Clap in his wallie nieve a blade, (wallie = mighty, nieve = fist)
He'll mak it whistle;
An' legs an' arms, an' heads will sned, (sned = cut off)
Like taps o' thristle.
Ye Pow'rs wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o' fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinkin ware(skinkin ware = watery soup)
That jaups in luggies; (jaups = slops about, luggies = two-handled continental bowls)
But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer,
Gie her a haggis! opeens lijken kinderen ploteseling hééééél groot (R)  Tussen de gangen van de maaltijd door draagt men gedichten voor. W. mag toepasselijk een ode aan de "lassies" voordragen. De kinderen vinden haggis lekker!