2023.02.09
English Day – January 27th 2023
Friday 27th January was English day here at Shizuoka Eiwa and I had the chance to speak in the morning service.
This time I decided to talk about the most famous poet from Scotland, Robert Burns.
Robert Burns was born in Alloway, Scotland in 1759 and spent his childhood working on his family’s farm. Like many young people at the time, he didn’t attend school and was educated at home by his father at home. Burns spent his life working various jobs and wrote poetry and music in his spare time. Burns wrote over 550 poems and songs during his life with many of them becoming famous around the world. You may not know it but you have probably sung at least one of his songs at least once in your life.
Robert Burns was born in Alloway, Scotland in 1759 and spent his childhood working on his family’s farm. Like many young people at the time, he didn’t attend school and was educated at home by his father at home. Burns spent his life working various jobs and wrote poetry and music in his spare time. Burns wrote over 550 poems and songs during his life with many of them becoming famous around the world. You may not know it but you have probably sung at least one of his songs at least once in your life.
In Scotland, Burns is as famous as Shakespeare is in England. His life and work are celebrated by people in Scotland on January 25th which is known as Burns night. On Burns Night, people enjoy a Burns Supper which is a special meal that starts with Cullen Skink. Cullen Skink is a creamy soup made from smoked fish, onions and potatoes. The meal continues with haggis which is a savoury pudding made from the heart, liver and lungs of a sheep mixed with oatmeal and spices. The meal end with trifle which is a layered dessert which has sponge cake on the bottom layer, jelly on the second layer, cold custard on the third layer and topped off with whipped cream. These three dishes are very popular in the UK and can be found in supermarkets and restaurants around the country. If you’d like to try British food, I highly recommend these three dishes.
I previously mentioned that you have probably sung one of Burns’ songs at least once. That song is called Auld Lang Syne in English. In Japanese it is known as 蛍の光. The English version of the song was written in 1788 and has since been translated and sung around the world. The song is about remembering old friends and old times and is sung by many people at the stroke of midnight on December to celebrate the start of the New Year. I think it is amazing that a song that was written so many years ago continues to be sung not just in English but in Japanese and so many other languages.
Burns’ music reminds us of the power of song to bring people together. I hope that in the future people will come together, forget their differences and sing songs of love, joy and happiness.
・Auld Lang Syne (蛍の光) - Pentatonix （YouTube）
・Auld Lang Syne (蛍の光) - Pentatonix （YouTube）
