The Question and Answer Board

[marcos]

When, by a generous
Public's kind
acclaim,
That dearest meed is
granted-honest fame;

Waen here your
favour is the actor's
lot,
Nor even the man in
private life forgot;
What breast so dead
to heavenly Virtue's
glow,
But heaves
impassion'd with the
grateful throe?

Poor is the task to
please a barb'rous
throng,
It needs no Siddons'
powers in Southern's
song;
But here an ancient
nation, fam'd afar,
For genius, learning
high, as great in war.
Hail, Caledonia,
name for ever dear!
Before whose sons
I'm honour'd to
appear?

Where every
science, every nobler
art,
That can inform the
mind or mend the
heart,
Is known; as grateful
nations oft have
found,
Far as the rude
barbarian marks the
bound.
Philosophy, no idle
pedant dream,
Here holds her
search by
heaven-taught
Reason's beam;
Here History paints
with elegance and
force
The tide of Empire's
fluctuating course;
Here Douglas forms
wild Shakespeare
into plan,
And Harley rouses
all the God in man.
When well-form'd
taste and sparkling
wit unite
With manly lore, or
female beauty bright,

(Beauty, where
faultless symmetry
and grace
Can only charm us in
the second place),
Witness my heart,
how oft with panting
fear,
As on this night, I've
met these judges
here!
But still the hope
Experience taught to
live,
Equal to
judge-you're candid
to forgive.
No hundred-headed
riot here we meet,
With decency and
law beneath his feet;
Nor Insolence
assumes fair
Freedom's name:
Like Caledonians,
you applaud or
blame.

O Thou, dread
Power! whose
empire-giving hand
Has oft been
stretch'd to shield the
honour'd land!
Strong may she glow
with all her ancient
fire;
May every son be
worthy of his sire;
Firm may she rise,
with generous
disdain
At Tyranny's, or
direr Pleasure's
chain;
Still Self-dependent
in her native shore,
Bold may she brave
grim Danger's
loudest roar,
Till Fate the curtain
drop on worlds to be
no more.


http://www.robertburns.org/works/

That's even better, Fred - twenty-four hours to think about it ... yes, good idea ... Bob and Matt may have other plans, things to do that get in the way of it ..... their silence so far on the matter may mean they're considering it -g- ... last weekend the three-day Happy Hour was something with which we could promote the place, worked well, i think five days of it would work well also, especially when they're the last five days .... cheers