Burns Night: from Fighting Scots to Dylan

1/26

Fighting Scots

It was obvious to my Wednesday morning group that something was different because I was not wearing a baseball cap but a  beret. I reminded them that Tuesday night had been a very important night, Burns night, to be specific.  The night to celebrate Robert  Burns’ birthday with poetry, single malt scotch and if you're really serious, a haggis.

College of Wooster

The closest I could come to something  Scottish was my Lengyel era beret from the College of Wooster. Historically, Wooster’s mascot had been a cute little Scotty dog sporting the school’s MacCleod tartan. When Jack Lengyel arrived as new head coach, he changed the mascot to a sword wielding highlander. He had his football players wear suits and ties to away games topped off with military style berets.  When they arrived somewhere like Oberlin, it was a truly impressive, even intimidating sight.

After being the doormat of the Ohio Conference,  Lengyel led the Scots to consecutive winning seasons and even contending for the OAC title in the midst of the engulfing campus turmoil of the era.

Lengyel would later coach Marshall U after their fateful plane crash, (and be played by Matthew McConaughey in the movie We Are Marshall.) He would ultimately land his dream job as Athletic Director of the US Naval Academy, 

What I remember is 1970 following Kent State tragedy. Coach Lengyel invited a number of activists to his home for dinner to try and understand why students were so angry. What the antiwar movement was all about.  What I remember is his graciousness, and that he listened. 

That helped me return to athletics (after my hippie drop out) and the lacrosse team, which he also coached. No mandatory berets for the lacrosse guys. We were a bit more ragtag. In fact by senior year, our classmate Tom LaMonica was essentially the coach as Lengyel prepared for his departure. 

But the point here is Wooster, true to its Scottish trappings, was where I learned about Burns night from my friend and fellow poet Michael Allen. I learned to appreciate Burns more. And the Scotch, too.

Years later, my New York City congregation became the home for a few  years of the city’s Hibernian Club.  Every St.Andrews Day we would host the kirking of the tartans and every January 25th a Burns with an actual haggis.  My Brazilian Associate and myself were sights to be seen in our rented kilts (clergy tartan of course).

So with an appearance scheduled for the Inspired Word at the Parkside Lounge, I decided to look for a Burns song to share. Much to my surprise I discovered that Bob Dylan had said that the song  My love is like a red, red rose t had aught him everything he needed too know about writing lyrics.

In its original form:

O my Luve is like a red, red rose

   That’s newly sprung in June;

O my Luve is like the melody

   That’s sweetly played in tune.

So fair art thou, my bonnie 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 love thee still, my dear,

   While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only luve!

   And fare thee weel awhile!

And I will come again, my luve,

   Though it were ten thousand mile.

So I decided to prepare …red, red rose…and Dylan’s Girl from the North Country. The Burns influence is always there in Dylan’s love songs,  even his more  mainstream hit, Make You Feel My Love. Surprisingly, Dylan has never recorded ….red, red, rose…

I finished my songs. Bought a scotch at the bar.  Made a quiet toast to Burns.

In our meeting, one of our circle informed us that that very night he would be reading Burns’ address to the Haggis at a Burns event. He spoke of  its role as a paean for the working class Scots. 

So for this week, hats off to Robert Burns.  And Dylan.  And hats on for the College of Wooster and the Fighting Scots.