Friday 13 February 2009

Robert Burns' Doctor Hornbook

In an earlier posting I'd mentioned Robert Burns 1785 poem Death And Doctor Hornbook, with reference to Francis Boyle's Hornbook's Ghaist. I have to admit I wasn't familiar with the Burns poem so I looked it up. I thought the second stanza was interesting!


But this that I am gaun to tell,
Which lately on a night befell,
Is just as true's the Deil's in hell
Or Dublin city:
That e'er he nearer comes oursel'
'S a muckle pity.

3 comments:

  1. It's like that wee song:

    Some say the Divil's deid
    Some say he's hardly
    Some say the Divil's deid
    And buried in KIllarney!

    Your blog's great - keep it coming!

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  2. I should also have said that this is believed to be the only reference Burns ever made to Ireland in his work

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  3. Nice one, Mark!

    Maybe it's a case of life imitating art, but a Dublin man who killed a stranger with garden shears because he thought he was the devil has pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of insanity at the Central Criminal Court. http://www.examiner.ie/breaking/ireland/mhsnqlojkfau/

    The Scottish version of the song is:

    Some say the devil's dead
    And buried in Kirkcaldy
    More say he rose again
    And danced the Heiland Laddie

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