Three simple words—meaning “old,” “long,” and “since”—combine to form a phrase that translates loosely as “time gone by,” “old time’s sake,” or, in some contexts, “once upon a time.” But the old Scots phrase so gracefully evokes a sense of nostalgia that it has been embraced throughout the English-speaking world. Every December 31, millions of us raise our voices in song to greet the new year, standing with friends and looking back on days past. The song we share has its roots in an old Scottish ballad about a disappointed lover and a popular dance tune that evoked a country wedding.
It was Robert Burns (1759–1796), the great eighteenth-century Scottish poet, who transformed the old song (and many other Scottish standards) for publication. He devoted the last ten years of his short life to collecting old verses, revising and “mending” as he saw fit, even composing poetry to accompany popular airs. When Burns turned his attention to “Auld Lang Syne,” he claimed merely to have transcribed the words from “an old man’s singing.” But from the time his version of the song was first printed (in 1796, just after his death), it has been understood that Burns lent more than a trace of his distinctive artistry to the now-famous verses.
With rare printed editions and selections from the Morgan’s collection of Burns letters—the largest in the world—this online exhibition untangles the complex origins of the song that has become, over time, a globally shared expression of friendship and longing.
Stella's Place 
Thank you, stella!
Beannachd Dia dhuit.
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Beannachd Dia dhuit, Mary.
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Beautiful.
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I’ll try this again. I wrote a heartfelt bit of prose and for some reason it didn’t take and knocked me off the interwebs, so I’ll try to be more concise. I wish for all of you a blessed and prosperous 2016. While none of us are guaranteed anything, I hope we all look back on 2015 and take it all in for what it might have been. Good or bad. I thank you all for being a friend, and hope for you what I am working towards myself, a positive and successful new year. Bless you all. 🙂
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Thank you, Tex. Bless you! I hope that 2016 will be your best year ever.
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Thank you Tex, those words mean a lot.
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Wishing you all a beautiful 2016 🙂
Thanks for sharing a bit of your world with me, I am a better person having come to know you over the last year.
The storms can be weathered, may our Constitution be honored and our Republic be restored.
God’s peace.
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That’s beautiful, lovely. I wish you a very happy and prosperous 2016.
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Thanks Stella 🙂
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I do love that song.
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