Brian’s Reflection: Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Cauld blaws the wind frae east to west,
The drift is driving sairly;
Sae loud shrill`s I hear the blast,
I`m sure it`s winters fairly.

CHORUS:
Up in the morning`s no for me,
Up in the mornings early;
When a` the hills are cover`d wi` snaw,
I`m sure it`s winter fairly.

The birds sit chittering on the the thorn,
A` day they fare but sparely;
And lang`s the night frae e`en to morn,
I`m sure it`s winter fairly.

CHORUS:
Up in the morning`s no for me,
Up in the mornings early;
When a` the hills are cover`d wi` snaw,
I`m sure it`s winter fairly.

Robbie Burns, Scottish poet; he was
born on this date, 1759, in Alloway


What can I say!? I am a hopeless Scotophile. My paternal grandparents were Scottish, my grandfather born in Dundee, and my grandmother Elspeth Orrock (whence comes one of my names, and my email address) born in Forfar. But. My paternal great-grandparents were Irish, from County Sligo. It so annoyed one of my great-uncles - known as Edward MacHugh the Gospel Singer - that he changed his name from McHugh to MacHugh lest anyone think he was Irish! My family, when I was a kid, visiting my uncles and aunts, were very Scottish ….. but I never had haggis, or for that matter anything I think of as being Scottish ….. except fabulous shortbread from my Auntie Ann. I made her recipe this Christmas ….. it was superbly delicious! ….. she always made it with brown sugar instead of casting sugar. If she was making shortbread when I went to her house for tea, she would let me score the cakes with a fork.

I’ve been to Alloway, and sat in the garden and pondered Burns, and read his poetry there ….. oftentimes with the guidance of my oldest and dearest friend Martin, whose mother was also from Forfar, and who is a scholar and speaker of Scots.

Burns is simple but therefore elegant, and he speaks with a power that comes from clarity. In this simple poem, he touches me in my heart, with a feeling I can identify with, being born in Canada but with an eternal hatred of cold. “Up in the morning’s no for me” ! I see this as a spiritual principle, believe it or not! It says, “Learn to find your natural place in the flow of Life”. Don’t try to “force” Life; sense it’s movement and be energized by finding your natural place in it. There lies Joy.

Brian+