"To A Mouse" by Robert Burns (read by Sir William "Billy" Connolly)
"John Steinbeck took the title of his 1937 novel "Of Mice and Men" from a line contained in the penultimate stanza. The 1997 novel "The Best Laid Plans" by Sidney Sheldon also draws its title from this line, and so does the novel of the same name by Canadian author Terry Fallis and the film series based on it." source: wiki
(Scroll down for the modern translation)
" To a Mouse",
On Turning her up in her Nest, with the Plough, November 1785.
by Robert Burns
Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim’rous beastie,
O, what a panic’s in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi’ bickerin brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an’ chase thee
Wi’ murd’ring pattle!
I’m truly sorry Man’s dominion
Has broken Nature’s social union,
An’ justifies that ill opinion,
Which makes thee startle,
At me, thy poor, earth-born companion,
An’ fellow-mortal!
I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve;
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
A daimen-icker in a thrave
’S a sma’ request:
I’ll get a blessin wi’ the lave,
An’ never miss ’t!
Thy wee-bit housie, too, in ruin!
It’s silly wa’s the win’s are strewin!
An’ naething, now, to big a new ane,
O’ foggage green!
An’ bleak December’s winds ensuin,
Baith snell an’ keen!
Thou saw the fields laid bare an’ waste,
An’ weary Winter comin fast,
An’ cozie here, beneath the blast,
Thou thought to dwell,
Till crash! the cruel coulter past
Out thro’ thy cell.
That wee-bit heap o’ leaves an’ stibble
Has cost thee monie a weary nibble!
Now thou’s turn’d out, for a’ thy trouble,
But house or hald,
To thole the Winter’s sleety dribble,
An’ cranreuch cauld!
But Mousie, thou art no thy-lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy!
Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But Och! I backward cast my e’e,
On prospects drear!
An’ forward tho’ I canna see,
I guess an’ fear!
____________________________________
"To a Mouse",
on Turning Her Up in Her Nest With the Plough, November, 1785
Little, cunning, cowering, timorous beast,
Oh, what a panic is in your breast!
You need not start away so hasty
With bickering prattle!
I would be loath to run and chase you,
With murdering paddle!
I’m truly sorry man’s dominion
Has broken Nature’s social union,
And justifies that ill opinion
Which makes you startle
At me, your poor, earth-born companion
And fellow mortal!
I doubt not, sometimes, that you may steal;
What then? Poor beast, you must live!
An odd ear in twenty-four sheaves
Is a small request;
I will get a blessing with what is left,
And never miss it.
Your small house, too, in ruin!
Its feeble walls the winds are scattering!
And nothing now, to build a new one,
Of coarse green foliage!
And bleak December’s winds ensuing,
Both bitter and piercing!
You saw the fields laid bare and empty,
And weary winter coming fast,
And cozy here, beneath the blast,
You thought to dwell,
Till crash! The cruel plough passed
Out through your cell.
That small heap of leaves and stubble,
Has cost you many a weary nibble!
Now you are turned out, for all your trouble,
Without house or holding,
To endure the winter’s sleety dribble,
And hoar-frost cold.
But Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often askew,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!
Still you are blessed, compared with me!
The present only touches you:
But oh! I backward cast my eye,
On prospects dreary!
And forward, though I cannot see,
I guess and fear!
Source: The Poets' Corner
☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆
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Пікірлер: 82
Beautifully read Billy. This reminded of dark Halloween nights when my Scottish Wife would read Tam o Shanter to the children by candlelight.
Only Billy could get THAT mixture of emotion and mirth in his voice to read that poem.. fabulous😂..
@ianmorris5501
3 ай бұрын
Great use of the word Mirth, equally Fabulous.📚😀🏴
As an English student skilled only in the American accent this video was truly a blessing. I couldn't even begin to guess how to read most of the poem without this, thank you!
@AlexKwake
2 жыл бұрын
It's not just an accent. Burns wrote in the Scots language, which is closer to Early Middle English.
@alicemilne1444
Жыл бұрын
@@AlexKwake Yes, he wrote in Scots, but Scots isn't close to Early Middle English. It developed along its own path and has many elements from Gaelic, Dutch and Scandinavian languages. It also contains French words that are quite different from those in English because of Scotland's centuries-long alliance with France.
@davidhill5684
Жыл бұрын
There's the difference between accent and dialect, which is it's own language really, though it shares much with it's parent language I believe. I grew up using certain Scots words, and still lapse into their use when with fellow Scots. It's a relief when it happens.
@lexm9416
Жыл бұрын
As a Scotsman steeped in our native accent and Burns’ works, I can assure you that this is indeed an excellent reading 😊
Best regards Sir Billy Connolly and friends and family - and kind thoughts on health issues.
Happy Burns' Day
@The_Hoxton_Hipster
6 ай бұрын
It’s Burns night
Well that certainly struck a chord with me .. Billy aka Sir William Connolly is a multi talented individual who just keeps on churning out good copy, cheers Billy keep on truckin' :)
If my mother were still alive, tears would be rolling down her cheeks. She told me of how she loved to visit her father's aunt and uncle. They still kept the Scottish accent and the only pictures on the walls were of Theodore Roosevelt and Robert Burns.
My grandfather's family came from Ayrshire. In a drunken stuper he would often spout from memory " To a Wee Mousie". Thou his family moved to Canada and he adopted a Canadian accent, he sounded much like this wonderful rendition. He served in both WW1 and WW2. Thankyou.
The whole poem here is so much more beautiful than the one line from it that has become a sort of meme in modern English.
He couldn't have got any closer to how I'd always imagined Burns would have spoken it.
That was beautiful thank you 👏 Billy it took me back to my childhood
Brilliantly done 🏴
i wept when i heard this. so much compassion for men and mouse, and our individual special sorrows. the mouse that his home would be naturally destroyed and that the man would be destroyed by memory and fears for the future.
Magnificent reading
This is the same poem that inspired the book “Of Mice And Men” bloody love that book
I quite enjoyed the unusual tempo, and the familiar comforting empathy and insight of the poem. The pace was unusual, and it needs something new, because both the poem and the voice are so well known. I found that quite refreshing as its usually slowed down to a dirge to be understandable to the modern ear. But most Scots know it well enough that a more natural tempo can be enjoyed, and you can listen two or three times to get some more. Well done Billy.
Up till now I had only read this and it was so good to have it read out aloud by the wonderful Billy Connolly. He made the ending sound really sad because the man who apologises to the mouse for the destruction he has wrought has a miserable existence.
@Bazanadu
Жыл бұрын
I think the point is that everyone has. To be human is to worry about the future and regret the past. It's the curse for being human. It's why we get depressed. It's why we abuse drugs.
I play this every Burns Night.
I had the great fortune to meet Billy in 1989 at a birthday party for Danny Kyle in the Buckshead in strathaven along with many dear friends some lost years past including one particularly dear, Margaret Forrest, many fond memories of that evening....
Weel done Billy aon. Gaun yersel. First time I have heard you reciting Burns. I was born in Irvine and think Burns was the greatest scot that even lived and you are the greatest living scot; I have followed your career every step of the way. You now have another string to your bow. Keep it going. You can beat this parkinson thing. My partner's mother had it. You have already prove the professionals wrong by living a long life. Go man go. Love to Pam and the kids. Wish I could meet you my son.
I didn't know till now Billy had been knighted! I remember him on American TV some years back... Good job on the poem ! ❤
I don't really understand all of it, but it makes me just want to pick up Wind In The Willows , and start reading. Happy.
@time_for_fast
6 ай бұрын
the answer to this crazy world at this time is the Wind in the Willows , i watch the stop frame TV series everyday because i can't bear the world and mole rat badger and especially toad keep me happy
❤ ma prayers 2 Billy an Rabbie. He was ma 4 greats grandad. Rip.
Remarkable close attention to the meanest detail of lifes turmoil. Wonderful!
This is one of my favs. Learnt it at skool 👍🏴
It's a privilege to share a birthday with Scotland's national poet.
@christophergallagher3845
2 жыл бұрын
Happy birthday
@unseelie63
2 жыл бұрын
@@christophergallagher3845 Aww,thank you!
@mirza_saabb193
Жыл бұрын
Happy Birthday…again! 🎉😊
Best thing Billy has ever done!
"One Brown Mouse" by Ian Anderson as performed by Jethro Tull is inspired by this too.
@unseelie63
2 жыл бұрын
Yes,and I love it!
Awesome!
Thank you so much and God bless!
I listened to this for school. Great reading!
Broke my heart.
Great video
"WONDERFUL"
Beautiful posting. Grazie. Bobby Burns, O'Bard of Scotland and great Ode to John Steinbeck.
A McClaran who just consumed haggis, neeps and tatties, and a double Famouse Grouse and water, to the sounds of the Black Watch, I salute Billy Connelly. What a great rendering! ❤
I wish we could have had him at our Burns Dinner tonight.
💚
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Very nice.
Best i’ve heard yet
Oor Billy.
I love the highs and lows of this poem. A mouse’s nest turned out ushers in disgust that turns to understanding and sympathy, even admiration or jealousy for a creature with such a simple life. Burns was fucking master. Billy’s reading is great!
you know who you are im waiting for you
interhigh ik
To a Mouse On Turning her up in her Nest, with the Plough, November 1785. Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim’rous beastie, O, what a panic’s in thy breastie! Thou need na start awa sae hasty, Wi’ bickerin brattle! I wad be laith to rin an’ chase thee Wi’ murd’ring pattle! I’m truly sorry Man’s dominion Has broken Nature’s social union, An’ justifies that ill opinion, Which makes thee startle, At me, thy poor, earth-born companion, An’ fellow-mortal! I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve; What then? poor beastie, thou maun live! A daimen-icker in a thrave ’S a sma’ request: I’ll get a blessin wi’ the lave, An’ never miss ’t! Thy wee-bit housie, too, in ruin! It’s silly wa’s the win’s are strewin! An’ naething, now, to big a new ane, O’ foggage green! An’ bleak December’s winds ensuin, Baith snell an’ keen! Thou saw the fields laid bare an’ waste, An’ weary Winter comin fast, An’ cozie here, beneath the blast, Thou thought to dwell, Till crash! the cruel coulter past Out thro’ thy cell. That wee-bit heap o’ leaves an’ stibble Has cost thee monie a weary nibble! Now thou’s turn’d out, for a’ thy trouble, But house or hald, To thole the Winter’s sleety dribble, An’ cranreuch cauld! But Mousie, thou art no thy-lane, In proving foresight may be vain: 1:35 The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley, An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, For promis’d joy! Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me! The present only toucheth thee: But Och! I backward cast my e’e, On prospects drear! An’ forward tho’ I canna see, I guess an’ fear! by Robert Burns
Didn't know Sheogorath was into poetry
A poets corner recording
Noo bad fer a Lowlander, ken.
@alfiegrace
4 ай бұрын
Considering Burns was a Lowlander… 😊
@DMelon1
4 ай бұрын
Its old scots, not gaelic lol
Beautifully delivered in guid braid Scots. The Big Yin truly is a national treasure.
interhigh
Not enough humility
Braw!
@brianhogg9857
6 ай бұрын
The translation is incorrect. Braw means pretty, handsome or beautiful
What connects Robert Burns and Girls Aloud other than Nicola Roberts ? Dost ask me, why I send thee here, This firstling of the infant year? Dost ask me, what this primrose shews, Bepearled thus with morning dews? I must whisper to thy ears, The sweets of love are wash'd with tears. This lovely native of the dale Thou seest, how languid, pensive, pale: Thou seest this bending stalk so weak, That each way yielding doth not break? I must tell thee, these reveal, The doubts and fears that lovers feel. kzread.info/dash/bejne/qoSmvJayccfQaKw.html here I am … walking primrose
L'Orange Comme dans l'éponge il y a dans l'orange une aspiration à reprendre contenance après avoir subi l'épreuve de l'expression. Mais où l'éponge réussit toujours, l'orange jamais : car ses cellules ont éclaté, ses tissus se sont déchirés. Tandis que l'écorce seule se rétablit mollement dans sa forme grâce à son élasticité, un liquide d'ambre s'est répandu, accompagné de rafraîchissement, de parfums suaves, certes, -- mais souvent aussi de la conscience amère d'une expulsion prématurée de pépins. Faut-il prendre parti entre ces deux manières de mal supporter l'oppression ? -- L'éponge n'est que muscle et se remplit de vent, d'eau propre ou d'eau sale selon : cette gymnastique est ignoble. L'orange a meilleurs goût, mais elle est trop passive, -- et ce sacrifice odorant... c'est faire à l'oppresseur trop bon compte vraiment. Mais ce n'est pas assez avoir dit de l'orange que d'avoir rappelé sa façon particulière de parfumer l'air et de réjouir son bourreau. Il faut mettre l'accent sur la coloration glorieuse du liquide qui en résulte et qui, mieux que le jus de citron, oblige le larynx à s'ouvrir largement pour la prononciation du mot comme pour l'ingestion du liquide, sans aucune moue appréhensive de l'avant-bouche dont il ne fait pas hérisser les papilles. Et l'on demeure au reste sans paroles pour avouer l'admiration que suscite l'enveloppe du tendre, fragile et rose ballon ovale dans cet épais tampon-buvard humide dont l'épiderme extrêmement mince mais très pigmenté, acerbement sapide, est juste assez rugueux pour accrocher dignement la lumière sur la parfaite forme du fruit. Mais à la fin d'une trop courte étude, menée aussi rondement que possible, -- il faut en venir au pépin. Ce grain, de la forme d'un minuscule citron, offre à l'extérieur la couleur du bois blanc de citronnier, à l'intérieur un vert de pois ou de germe tendre. C'est en lui que se retrouvent, après l'explosion sensationnelle de la lanterne vénitienne de saveurs, couleurs, et parfums que constitue le ballon fruité lui-même, -- la dureté relative et la verdeur (non d'ailleurs entièrement insipide) du bois, de la branche, de la feuille : somme toute petite quoique avec certitude la raison d'être du fruit. Francis Ponge - Le parti pris des choses (1942
Spiders obviously didn't bother Rabbie. He might have written one called, To a Spider. Maybe he did.
Can’t understand this 0 out of 10. Spider-Man no way home is clear.
@jonharrison9222
Жыл бұрын
…?
@hachimanjiro
Жыл бұрын
Double ??.....
@ianb9028
Жыл бұрын
Aaah … but in 300 years time what will people make of spidey. Try to be less arrogant Burns was not writing for your ears alone, and you could learn something by understanding his voice.
Poor recital by an Anglicised Glasgow accent
@petejayhawk
6 ай бұрын
do better then, mate. ain't heard of ye before
@FuuuckOffff
6 ай бұрын
What specific aspects did not ring true for you?
@donnabrooks3762
6 ай бұрын
Can you recommend a more authentic reading?
@The_Hoxton_Hipster
6 ай бұрын
Poor recital is a bit harsh, but I do get the Glasgow accent thing. Billy’s accent is quite different to what I imagine Burns’ would have been; of course the passage of time will influence this, but also so will the area where Burns’ grew up and lived…he was not a Glaswegian, unlike Billy. To those who may not know, Scotland like everywhere has distinctive accents even between places relatively short distances apart…Billy for example speaks very differently to people in Edinburgh. I think he recites it brilliantly though, notwithstanding the accent may not be truly authentic in terms of what would have been Burns’ vernacular. But still great that’s it’s recited in a Scottish accent. I suppose it could be said that Billy reciting in a Glasgow accent would be a bit like someone with a Cockney (London) accent reciting a poem written in Scouse (Liverpool) vernacular. But Billy still does a great job, and as someone who is half Scottish (Glaswegian) I recognise much of what Burns wrote, and have heard many of the words and phrases used in real life especially by grandparents…sleekit is a perfect example!
@sporranheid
6 ай бұрын
And a poor comment by a sad, wee, narrow mind.