Auld Lang Syne by Robert Burns
Every year, the streets ring with the same lilting song. Sweet, nostalgic, hopeful; "Auld Lang Syne" has become an absolute tradition in New Year's Eve celebrations.
And so, we sing. Or, at least, we sing the first couple of lines and politely mumble the rest into our wassail. Despite its vast popularity, it's a song that very few people can actually recite the entirety of.
The song, of course, derives from a 1788 Scots poem by Robert Burns; set to the tune of a traditional folk song. Burns never intended his work to act as a farewell to the old year; it's a piece which partially reproduces, partially originally pens an older folk tune.
He originally sent the piece to the Scots Musical Museum with a note, "The following song, an old song, of the olden times, and which has never been in print, nor even in manuscript until I took it down from an old man."
The phrase "for auld lang syne" essentially boils down to "for (the sake of) old times". It's a work which essentially calls for the preservation of our oldest, dearest friendships; perhaps observed in the reflective quality of New Year's Eve itself. A time when people come together to recall past joys and sorrows, specifically those spent in each others company.
Now, there are several variations of what's sung on New Year's Eve; first off, we've printed Burns' original Scots verse if you want to keep things authentic. Below that, a simplified English translation.
Burns' original Scots verse:
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
For auld lang syne, my jo,
we’lltak' a cup o’ kindness yet,
And surely ye’ll be your pint-stoup!
And we’ll tak' a cup o’ kindness yet,
We twa hae run about the braes,
and pou’d the gowans fine;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,
We twa hae paidl’d in the burn,
frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere!
and gie's a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll tak' a right gude-willie waught,
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
For auld lang syne, my dear,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup!
and surely I’ll buy mine!
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared
And there’s a hand my trusty friend!
And give me a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
