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A Poem for New Year’s Eve: “Auld Lang Syne” by Robert Burns

This month, I read three thoroughly enjoyable novels set in Edinburgh, all by Alexander McCall Smith – Sunshine on Scotland Street, Bertie’s Guide to Life and Mothers, and The Sunday Philosophy Club. One name repeatedly invoked by characters is Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet and the creative mind behind a refrain familiar to New Year’s eve revelers the world over: “for auld lang syne.”

In contemporary language, “auld lang syne” translates to “the good old days” or “back in the day,” and the poem indeed exudes warm nostalgia for the days we leave behind us. Instances of the song in popular culture abound. Continue reading “A Poem for New Year’s Eve: “Auld Lang Syne” by Robert Burns”