The Meaning of Auld Lang Syne by Robert Burns (with translation)

Auld Lang Syne is a traditional poem/song by one on Scotland’s most famous historic writers, Robert Burns. It’s sung after “the Bells” on New Years day (i.e. as “Hogmanay” closes at midnight and the new year begins) as a celebration of friendship.

To start with, here’s the original.

The song is asking whether old friendships should be forgotten, and the answer is no. The lyrics are reminiscing about old times with friends and the good memories shared, and wishing to continue these friendships in the future. The chorus repeats the phrase "For auld lang syne", which means "For the sake of old times". The last verse of the song is inviting someone to take a drink together to remember old times and to continue the good memories.

Auld Lang Syne

Verse 1:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And auld lang syne!

Chorus:

For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup of kindness yet, For auld lang syne.

Verse 2:

And surely ye'll be your pint-stoup! And surely I'll be mine!
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, For auld lang syne.

Verse 3:

We two have run about the slopes, And picked the daisies fine;
But we've wandered many a weary foot, Sin auld lang syne.

Verse 4:

We two have paddled in the stream, From morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roared Sin auld lang syne.

Verse 5:

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere! And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak a right gude-willy waught, For auld lang syne.

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Now here is a translation of all the Scottish words in the lyrics of "Auld Lang Syne" into English:

• "Auld" - Old

• "Lang syne" - Long ago

• "Acquaintance" - Friendships

• "Forgot" - Forgotten

• "Brought" - Brought

• "Mind" - Mind

• "Tak" - Take

• "Cup" - Cup

• "Kindness" - Kindness

• "Pint-stoup" - Pint glass

• "Run" - Run

• "About" - About

• "Slopes" - Hills

• "Picked" - Picked

• "Daisies" - Daisies

• "Wandered" - Wandered

• "Weary" - Tired

• "Foot" - Foot

• "Sin" - Since

• "Paddled" - Paddled

• "Stream" - Stream

• "Morning sun" - Morning sun

• "Dine" - Dinner

• "Seas" - Seas

• "Between us" - Between us

• "Braid" - Wide

• "Hae" - Have

• "Roared" - Roared

• "Hand" - Hand

• "Trusty" - Trustworthy

• "Fiere" - Comrade

• "Gie's" - Give me

• "Thine" - Your

• "Right gude-willy waught" - A good drink

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Finally, a rewrite of Auld Lang Syne with the Scots translated into English:

Verse 1:

Should old acquaintances be forgotten And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintances be forgotten And old times gone!

Chorus:

For old times' sake, my dear, For old times' sake,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet, For old times' sake.

Verse 2:

And surely you'll be your pint glass! And surely I'll be mine!
And we'll take a cup of kindness yet, For old times' sake.

Verse 3:

We two have run about the hills And picked the daisies fine;
But we've wandered many a weary foot, Since old times gone.

Verse 4:

We two have paddled in the stream, From morning sun till dine;
But seas between us wide have roared Since old times gone.

Verse 5:

And there's a hand, my trusty comrade! And give me a hand of yours!
And we'll take a right good-drink together, For old times' sake.

This is Chad Varah crossing the border (WH Auden's Night Mail updated)

Virgin Trains have well and truly touched our lives. When we had our son we knew we wanted to raise him closer to family in Scotland and it meant moving from the South East of England. The Virgin service on the West Coast Main Line was instrumental in enabling us to make that move while I continued to work remotely out of an HQ in London.

An amazing gift from Virgin Trains

Little did we know that our son would become so utterly devoted to the trains that made that upbringing possible. Virgin Trains gave him an incredible gift: the gift of inspiration and on 30th Nov 2019 they added to that gift with something quite amazing. (see here).

I thought that as a way to remember Virgin Train’s contribution to the West Coast Main Line, and to my son, I would attempt a a rewrite of W H Auden’s famous poem “Night Mail”.

It’s a wonderful, rhythmic poem that captures the essence of the Royal Mail train rushing North through the night to Glasgow. Over and above that it has a poignancy for us because it is essentially “local”.

This is the Night Mail crossing the Border, 
Bringing the cheque and the postal order,

Letters for the rich, letters for the poor, 
The shop at the corner, the girl next door.

Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb:
The gradient's against her, but she's on time.

And so it goes on…

Of course, those were the days of steam. In contrast, the staple express of the modern WCML has been the class 390 Virgin Pendolino.

I wanted the poem to be clearly “Virgin Pendolino” and to include a smattering of Pendolino names, since this is what’s really brought the trains alive for my son and indeed is at the heart of recent events.

So, without further ado:

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Pendolino

This is Chad Varah crossing the Border, 
Passengers happy, all is in order. 
"Welcome to Virgin!" says a voice in the sky,  
"Sit back, relax, this Scouseman can fly."   
Travelling for business, travelling for fun, 
Adventure with grandad, home to see Mum. 

 The shop’s in coach C for nibbles and snacks, 
Mustn’t get hungry while riding the tracks.  
Powering up Beattock, the motors are whirring, 
Past windmills and forest, the countryside’s stirring.  

“Rethink Mental Illness” or true “Virgin Glory”, 
Each one of these locos can tell their own story. 

Tunefully humming as she passes, 
Silent miles of wind-bent grasses,
Birds turn their heads as she approaches,  
Stare from bushes at her sleek streamlined  coaches. 
A farmhouse tilts by, where no one wakes,  
But a jug in a bedroom gently shakes.   

Dawn is behind us, in pours the sun, 
She descends towards Glasgow at over a ton. 
Scotland awaits her, there’s business to do, 
A Treaty of Union from City of Crewe.  

Edan always had a soft spot for Chad Varah (founder of the Samaritans)

People from England, those from afar, 
People asleep in the quiet zone car,  
Lego is scattered across the table, 
Passengers visiting aunty Mable. 
Travelling to weddings with invitations,  
To meet the team or visit relations,  
Interview prep for job applications,  
Off to the wilds to explore new sensations,  
Gossip and chatter from all the nations, 
Twitter and Facebook and all the views, 
The onboard Wi-fi delivering the news. 
Travelling to uncles and cousins and aunts, 
Heading to Scotland from somewhere in France.  
Sadness for some with lost ones to bear,  
Not sure what to say when the train gets there. 
The chatty, the catty, the boring, the snoring,  
The mobile phone guy and his heart’s outpouring,   
Tapping of laptops and tablets and phones,  
A palmful of pixels that everyone owns.  

Let’s Bee Together this memorable day 
Through mountains and cities, speeding our way. 

“To Scotland!” We say, “that’s where we’re going!” 
On Charles Rennie Mac with red silk a-flowing 

It’s better by train, we’d rather not drive, 
But what shall await us when we arrive?  
The hustle and bustle, the city’s heart beating,  
A handshake, a hug, a warm tender greeting.  

This journey is over, heads held with Pride. 
Passengers happy, thanks for the ride. 

(c) Nik Sargent 2019

What's Daddy doing with that Big Orange Thing

A poem to celebrate the fascination of a toddler, before it disappears...

I want to know what's happening!

So there was I, cutting the grass.
And there was he, slapping the glass.
He was slightly forlorn as I paced the lawn,
Following me close with each pass

He wanted to see the machine 
Making grass look so short and so green.
Delighted to see the big bin
Where dad chucked the grass cuttings in.

On the window he slapped,
Applauded and clapped,
With a very wide grin 
He couldn't keep in.

I've never felt quite so adored 
Doing jobs where I'm usually bored.
Feelings of great fascination;
A young boy's complete admiration.

I'll enjoy this, it won't last forever;
One day daddy won't seem so clever.
So I'll take all I possibly can
Of the innocent love of wee man

Poem from "Four Weddings and a Funeral" Lyrics & Recording

There's a beautiful poem by W H Auden from the film "Four Weddings and a Funeral" called "Funeral Blues" and read by John Hannah. It's amazingly powerful. I've read it here against an audio backdrop of "When Darkness Falls" by Secret Garden - which I felt made an evocative combination. 

mp3 of Funeral Blues / When Darkness Falls read by Nik Sargent

Funeral Blues

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, 
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, 
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum 
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come. 

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead 
Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead. 
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves, 
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves. 

He was my North, my South, my East and West, 
My working week and my Sunday rest, 
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song; 
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong. 

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one, 
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun, 
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods; 
For nothing now can ever come to any good. 

W.H. Auden