Burns Supper Speech
記事名：Aberdeen Friend of Japan（アバディーン日本友好協会）でのスピーチ全文（翻訳なし・固有名称はすべてイニシャルにしてあります）
Speech o Robbie Burns Supper o Aberdeen Freen o Japan
6/02/04
Good evening everyone.
Before my speech about Robert Burns， I would like to say some preface to shorten the time for my speech. I feel our special thanks to everyone who attend tonight but especially to some persons.
First of all are E・S and J・M. Without their effort to prepare this party， none of us can get the marvelous dishes and drinks tonight. E organized almost allthings for our party with her meticulous cares and J・M’s great artistic talent bring us such a nice MENU＆PROGRAM. This PROGRAM will bring some order for this party and let us know the traditional procedures of Burns Night. Thanks a lot， E and J.
Next persons are， of course， P・H and B・C.
We have already known about P’s marvelous versatility as a piper. We are so lucky tonight to appreciate such a traditional tunes and performances and also to have nice atmosphere of Burns’ Supper because of P’s help itself. P is of course a great piper and also he is a skilled expert as a fiddler. And we cannot forget his versatility in cooking. We already enjoyed his mashed potatoes， tonight， it’s P’s Specialty. How can we show our thanks to P， thanks， P.
And， our B・C.
He organizes our meeting every week. And we feel relief by reading his detailed e-mail which let us know who travels where and who will attend our next chattering. We can have enjoyable lunchtime on every Thursday. And may we have our fruitful result in our founding of the Aberdeen Friend of Japan. We also hope your brand new computer will works well to send e-mail， soon again. Thanks again B.
And now I have to start my speech about our Scottish Bard， Robert Burns.
And this is “Robert Burn’s Supper” so， I will try to spek not in our damned English but in our luveable Scots jist(just) for a while….
It’s mi(my) pleesure(pleasure) to ha(v)e the honest pa(i)rt to spe(e)k aboot(about) our luveable drunkart(drunker) Robbie Burns thenicht(tonight). As ye(you) ken(know) aboot it， our luverable Robbie Burns born in Alloway， sooth(south) o(f) Air i(n) 1759 as a lad o a fermer(farmer) there. (H)it means we celebrate heez(his) birthday thenicht houbeit［i spite o］ 245 years hae aready passed. Some fowk ken(know) weel aboot heez life o coorse， an forby (bai) ither(others) dinna(do not) ken aboot heez life weel(weel).
So it micht(might) be helpful tae(to) introduce shortlins(shortly) aboot heez life now.
He was a puir(poor) freemason[stone craftman] an(d) he warked(worked) is(as) a taxcollector(exciseman) i(n) the last phase o(f) heez short life for jist(just) 37 years， he died quite young.
He ken aboot some historical events［hans］i the course o heez life， especially aboot that French Revolution i 1789 when he tak[e]s lease on a ferm named ‘Ellisland’ in Dumfriesshire. That bonnie[lovely] ferm aside[beside] the burn[river] is still open as a former［yae-time］residence o heez family whaur(where) I visited lest(last) simmer(summer). And Ye can visit and even tak[e] a pint there i the pub named ‘Globe Inn’ whaur we can see the handscrieve(handescrｉpt) o the waa(wall) by Burns himself， that famous poem aboot our unforgettable drunker “Tam o’ Shanter.”
He usually spent his life i some puir conditions， bit hit should help fir him to hae deep sympathy wi fowk(folk) an ken aboot the injustice o the warld(world).
I dinna ken aboot the cor[r]ect nummer(number) o his pomes and sangs(songs)bit(but) he wrote mair nor ［more than］400 pomes and sangs I heeze life. He wrote ither(other) unforgettable tunes including ， jist the name， “Address to a Haggis”， and the passionate love sang “Red Red Rose”， an that political “A Man’s A Man.”
Burns’background as a ferm-lad［NE:loun］an heez lest work as a taxcollector alloo(allow) him to ken(know) weel aboot the life o ordinary fowk in the region［kintra］an the local［howff］word. Amang(Among) the people wha(who) diina ken aboot heez life an works， monie people ken aboot the kenspeckle［famillier］tune， “Auld Lang Syne”. Amang mare nor 30 countries the tune is translated［owerset］i ilka leid［in each language］. We ken weel aboot Hotaru-no-Hikari， that famous Japanese translation by Cikai Inagaki in Meiji Era.
Anyway， I aready said he is a luveable Scottish bard for
everyone. People i Scotland luve heez poems and sangs i daily life.
This is not jist an exaggeration， people are actually i luve wi him still now.
I would like to show you one funny episode now.
It was last September， when I had a conference in Edinburgh and took a late train from there to came back Aberdeen. One gentleman got into the same coach. And It was already late night so you know I was slightly nervous about him. But he seems to be tired to stand up without no seat there so， I made a space for him to sit down beside me. (Very kind act) But soon I did regret my kindness because the man already seemed to drink a lot. His breath deeply smells of alcohol. You know， this is a dismal situation. All way to go with such a drunken fellow. So I decided to ignore him， but he speaks to me vigorously.
So， finally， I ask him “who are you， what is your job?”
The man says “I dae(do) mi(my) auld(old) wark(work) still noo(now)， whikk!”
(Oh dear…)
“So what is your old work”， I ask
“I am a plumber”
and then the fellow ask me “Whaur are ye leeve(live) in，?”
“I live in Aberdeen”
“Oh! Aberdeen whit a damned city!”
“You know Aberdeen?”
“Yes o coorse(course)， whan(when) I was green(young)， Aberdeen was verra(very) attractive nice town”
“What means ‘attractive’?”
Then ， suddenly， that drunken fellow lowered his voice and whispered close to my ears.
“Aberdeen women were very nice， I can’t forget that luvely(lovery) girl. They were very nice， you know”
“I don’t know! (Oh please leave me alone in peace) ”
But that drunken chap continues，
“And whit are ye doing in Aberdeen? Whit’s lik(e) the girl， now? Are ye enjoy ye life?”
“No， I do just my academic research there， about Scottish novels .”
“Oh ye like Scottish Novel”
This word changed the mood between us.
Suddenly he started to sing the typical Scottish tune and it was our Burn’s song.
The old man was deeply drunk but once he started his sang， his voice was very clear， deep and pleasant. So I sing with him in such a lonely train in midnight with lean against each other shaking shoulders.
That drunken old fellow was an enthusiastic Burns’ admirer.
And I asked “what’s your name”? So， he gave me his name card， and I can read some lines from Robert Burn’s poem in the bottom of his name card.
And he also show me his mobile phone and kindly let me hear the answering melody (Cyaku-meru)， can you believe the melody is from Burns’ tune.
He is a luveable Burns’ fan.
He soon got off the train efter(after) our singing. But before he got off the train he said to me repeatedly， “Keep watch your luggage， and take care of you in this late train.”
I waved him and he waved back me in the dark and cold platform till he disappear.
He was a just drunken fellow and just a woman killer， maybe， but he seems still have some kind of sanity， and keep watching every things around him while even he sings merrily， as our loveable Robert Burns did so in his late 18th century.
I cannot forget that drunken man in the train at that night still now， and if Robert Burns is still alive now， I think， Burns should be like that old drunken fellow in the train. Deeply drunken and saying some obscene words but he know about something
and has some kind of sanity and awareness in this world. To tell the truth， I even envy you Scottish people have such a poet as Robert Burns whom peoples deeply love still now.
Even we admire the Scottish bard’s tactics for making the lovable tunes or his tactics for luring women， or even we admire his political sensitivity with his strong indigenous awareness， we can feel he is， with no drought， still our treasure， not for jist Scottish people but for everyone in the world.
I have to finish my speech.
May we enjoy such a luveable tune forever， and may his voice get to touch more deeply even to Japan and his tune help to deepen our friendship between Scotland and Japan and other countries more deeply.
And our luve for Robbie Burns will come again，
Like a Red Red Rose， Tho’ twere ten thousand years away.
Thank you.
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