Compere: Dear girls and boys, thank you for coming to this party. I'm glad to see you here on the eve of his birthday, because as you know Robert Burns' birthday is usually celebrated in all English-speaking countries. A celebration called Burns’ Night is held not only in Scotland and in many places of England, but also amongst British people living in other countries. The celebration usually takes the form of a supper (called Burns’ Supper) at which traditional dishes are eaten. The people are wearing their traditional costumes and some of Burns’ most popular poems are recited.

Compere: Some experts of Robert Burns’ life are present today. They’ll help us to travel through his native land and his works.

Pupils: The biggest city of Scotland Glasgow which lies on the river Clyde is the largest port of the country. But south-west of Glasgow lies the pleasant town of Ayr, notable as the homeland of Robert Burns. The great Scottish poet was born in Alloway, in Ayrshire, Scotland on the 25^th of January, 1759.

(Here a couplet and refrain of the song "Robin" by Mark Karminsky are heard in Russian recorded on a tape-recorder. The song's refrain is sung in English by all pupils in the hall.)

Pupils:

В деревне парень был рожден,
Но день, когда родился он,
В календари не занесен.
Кому был нужен Робин?

Припев:

Был он резвый паренек,
Резвый Робин, шустрый Робин,
Беспокойный паренек –
Резвый, шустрый Робин!

Refrain:

Robin was a rovin' Boy,
Rantin' rovin', rantin' rovin';
Robin was a rovin' Boy,
Rantin' rovin' Robin.

Glossary: rovin' = rambling; rantin' = making merry.

(Then, on the stage, the pupils perform a short play about Robert's first day of life.)

Scene: A room in the Burns' neighbour's house. A man and a woman with a baby in her arms are sitting there. The man is making something with a hammer. The baby is asleep.

Woman: The night is so stormy. It is snowing. Somebody is knocking.

Husband: I'll open the door.

Burns' Mother (coming in): My dear neighbours! The storm has broken the roof of my house. May I spend this night at your place?

Woman: Oh, dear! You are welcome! Sit down, please. Let me have a look at your baby. What a handsome boy!

Husband: Hush! Somebody is knocking again. Who can it be? The snowstorm is so terrible!

Woman: Oh, a stranger may have lost his way. We can't leave anyone without help. Open the door, my dear.

Gypsy (entering the room): Hello! How are you? I'm cold and wet. May I warm myself in your house?

Woman: Of course, my dear Sarah. She is a Gypsy. She can tell fortunes.

Gypsy: What a nice baby! Let me see his hand. Oh, this boy won't be a fool. He'll be famous! He will glorify his family and country.

(All the four personages recite the following lines of Burns' poem "Robin "):

Man: The Gossip keekit in his loof,

Gypsy:

Quo' scho wha lives will see the proof,
This waly boy will be пае coof,
I think we'll ca' him Robin
He'll hae misfortunes great and sma',
But ay a heart aboon them a':
All: He'll be a credit till us a',
We'll a' be proud o' Robin.

Glossary: keekit=glanced; loof=palm; quo'=said; scho=she; wha=who; waly=handsome; nae=not; coof=fool; ca'=call; hae=have; sma'=small; ay=always; aboon=above; a'=all; o'=of.

Разжав младенческий кулак,
Гадалка говорила так:
- Мальчишка будет не дурак.
Пускай зовется Робин.
Немало ждет его обид,
Но сердцем всё он победит.
Парнишка будет знаменит,
Семью прославит Робин.

(The pupils sing the refrain in English again: "Robin was a rovin ' Boy... ")

Compere: It happened so. There were 7 children in the family and Robert was the eldest one. His father was a poor farmer but he tried to give his children the best education he could.

Pupils: In 1765 Robert was sent to school, but his school days did not last long because his teacher soon got another job and left. Then Burns' father persuaded some neighbours to hire a young man as a teacher for their children. This young man was John Murdoch. He was very clever and gave his pupils a good knowledge of English. They read Shakespeare, Milton and other most important writers of the 16th — 18th centuries.

Compere: Robert's childhood and adolescence were not happy. Being the eldest in the family Robert had to begin working on the farm at a very early age. At 13 he worked in the field on a par with grown-ups.

Pupils: In 1773 Robert was 14. He wrote his first poem "Handsome Nell". It was written for a girl who worked in the field with him.

Compere: All great poets began to write poems when they fell in love with girls. The same thing happened to Robert Burns. The first songs were composed by Robert to the tunes of popular folk songs. They were sung by his mates and neighbours and made him famous in his parts. Robert wrote about the lasses and lads he knew well, about everything that happened to them. Here is one of those songs, "Comin' thro' the rye".

Comin' thro' the rye, poor body,
Comin' thro' the rye,
She draigl't a' her petticoatie
Comin' thro' the rye.

Oh Jenny's a' weet, poor body,
Jenny's seldom dry;
She draigl't a' her petticoatie
Comin' thro' the rye.

Gin a body meet a body
Comin' thro' the rye,
Gin a body kiss a body
Need a body cry?

Gin a body meet a body
Comin' thro' the glen;
Gin a body kiss a body

Need the warld ken?

Glossary: thro'=through; draigl't=drenched; weet=wet; gin=if; warld=world; ken=know.

Пробираясь до калитки
Полем вдоль межи,
Дженни вымокла до нитки
Вечером во ржи.

Очень холодно девчонке,
Бьет девчонку дрожь:
Замочила все юбчонки,
Идя через рожь.

Если кто-то звал кого-то
Сквозь густую рожь
И кого-то обнял кто-то,
Что с него возьмешь?

И какая нам забота,
Если у межи
Целовался с кем-то кто-то
Вечером во ржи!..

(звучит в исполнении Л. Гурченко)

Compere: And now one more song about love written by Robert Burns.

A Red, Red Rose

О my Luve's like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June;
O my Luve's like the melodie
That's sweetly play'd in tune.-

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my Dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.-

Till a' the seas gang dry, my Dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun:
I will luve thee still, my Dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.-

And fare thee weel, my only Luve!
And fare thee weel, a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile! '-

Glossary: luve = love; art thou = are you; bonie=beautiful; thee=you; gang=go; wi’=with; weel=well; tho'=though.

Любовь, как роза, роза красная.
Цветет в моем саду.
Любовь моя — как песенка,
С которой в путь иду.

Сильнее красоты твоей
Моя любовь одна.
Она с тобой, пока моря
Не высохнут до дна.

Не высохнут моря, мой друг,
Не рушится гранит,
Не остановится песок,
А он, как жизнь, бежит...

Будь счастлива, моя любовь,
Прощай и не грусти.
Вернусь к тебе, хоть целый свет
Пришлось бы мне пройти!

Pupils: In 1784, at a dancing party, Robert Burns met the "beauty of the village" — Jean Armour, the daughter of a rich master-mason. It was "love at first sight". Jean had a beautiful voice. Robert composed songs for her and she sang them with great pleasure.

Compere: Let's listen to one of his songs.

О whistle, and I'll come to ye, my lad,
О whistle, and I'll come to ye, my lad;
Tho' father, and mother, and a' should gae mad,
Thy Jeanie will venture wi' ye, my lad.

Glossary: ye = you, gae = go.

Ты свистни – тебя не заставлю я ждать,
Ты свистни — тебя не заставлю я ждать.
Пусть будут браниться отец мой и мать,
Ты свистни — тебя не заставлю я ждать!

Pupils: Robert Burns poems and verses inspired many famous composers who wrote music to them. The best known cycle of songs to his verses was composed in our country by G. Sviridov.

Now let’s listen to some songs (звучат песни “Про кого-то” муз. А. Петрова, “В полях под снегом и дождем” муз. А.Градского на слова Роберта Бёрнса).

Pupils: In April 1787 the second edition of Burns' poems appeared in Edinburgh. It brought him money and gave him an opportunity to see more of his native land. Robert made several trips around the country and saw beautiful landscapes and lochs of the Highlands. He visited some historical places, which made a great impression on him.

"My Heart's in the Highlands"

My Heart's in the Highlands, my heart is
    not here;
My heart's in the Highlands a chasing the
    deer;
Chasing the wild deer, and following the
    roe;
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever
    I go.-
Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the
    North;
The birth-place of Valour, the country of
    Worth:
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,
The hills of the Highlands for ever I love.-
Farewell to the mountains high cover'd with
    snow;
Farewell to the straths and green vallies
    below:
Farewell to the forests and wild-hanging
    woods;
Farewell to the torrents and loud-pouring
    floods.-
My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is
    not here;
My heart's in the Highlands a chasing the
    deer;
Chasing the wild deer, and following the
    roe;
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever
    I go.-

В горах мое сердце... Доныне я там.
По следу оленя лечу по скалам.
Гоню я оленя, пугаю козу.
В горах мое сердце, а сам я внизу.
Прощай, моя родина! Север, прощай,—
Отечество славы и доблести край.
По белому свету судьбою гоним,
Навеки останусь я сыном твоим!
Прощайте, вершины под кровлей
снегов,
Прощайте, долины и скаты лугов,
Прощайте, поникшие в бездну леса,
Прощайте, потоков лесных голоса.
В горах мое сердце... Доныне я там.
По следу оленя лечу по скалам.
Гоню я оленя, пугаю козу.
В горах мое сердце, а сам я внизу!

Compere: The Revolution in France in 1789 impressed Burns greatly. Bums always stood lor liberty and was against social inequality. He believed that the "world would live in peace".

Like brethren in a common cause,
We'd on each other smile, man;
And equal rights and equal laws
Wad gladden every isle, man.

Glossary: brethren=brothers; wad=would.

Забудут рабство и нужду
Народы и края, брат,
И будут люди жить в ладу,
Как дружная семья, брат!

Compere: His thoughts were about Sense, Honesty, Independence. Sometimes his poems seem to have been written about our daily problems. His poems are up-to-date though they were written many years ago.

Compere: You know that Robert Burns died in 1796. After his death his poems were translated into almost every language. In Russia six of his poems were translated for the first time by Mikhailov in 1856. Shchepkina-Kupernick, Bagritsky and other poets translated Burns' poems, too. But the best translations were made by Marshak. Thanks to Marshak's translations we have come to know and love Robert Burns. We know that the Scottish national anthem "Auld Lang Syne" composed by Robert Burns is often sung at parties or meetings of friends all over the world. And I think that today we shall honour the memory of the great bard of Scotland by singing his song.

(The pupils sing the song standing up.)

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld rang syne!

Chorus:

For auld lang syne, my jo,-
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere!
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak a right gude-willie-waught,
For auld lang syne.

Chorus.

Glossary: auld=old; auld lang syne=old days gone by; jo=dear; tak=take; fiere=comrade, companion; gie's=give us; gude-willie-waught=cordial drink.

Яценко Ирина Анатольевна, учитель английского языка
Аксентьева Светлана Николаевна

МОУ "СОШ № 10", г. Абакан, Хакасия