A Man's A Man For A' That
Scottish Poem By Robert Burns
A Man's A Man For A' That (also known as Is There For Honest Poverty) is a poem written by the Scottish poet Robert BurnsThis 1795 poem is famous for its expression of egalitarian ideas of society, which may be seen as expressing the ideas of liberalism that arose in the 18th century.
Scottish folksinger Sheena Wellington sang the song at the opening of the Scottish Parliament in May, 1999. The song was also sung at the funeral of Donald Dewar, the inaugural First Minister of Scotland. It is also known in translations into other European languages, for example the German "Trotz alledem und alledem" by Ferdinand Freiligrath right after the Revolution of 1848 (sung by Hannes Wader as "Trotz alledem").
Related Scottish Country Dances
A Man's A Man For A' ThatA Man's A Man For A' That By Robert Burns
That hings his head, an' a' that;
The coward slave-we pass him by,
We dare be poor for a' that!
For a' that, an' a' that.
Our toils obscure an' a' that,
The rank is but the guinea's stamp,
The Man's the gowd for a' that.
What though on hamely fare we dine,
Wear hodden grey, an' a that;
Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine;
A Man's a Man for a' that:
For a' that, and a' that,
Their tinsel show, an' a' that;
The honest man, tho' e'er sae poor,
Is king o' men for a' that.
Ye see yon birkie, ca'd a lord,
Wha struts, an' stares, an' a' that;
Tho' hundreds worship at his word,
He's but a coof for a' that:
For a' that, an' a' that,
His ribband, star, an' a' that:
The man o' independent mind
He looks an' laughs at a' that.
A prince can mak a belted knight,
A marquis, duke, an' a' that;
But an honest man's abon his might,
Gude faith, he maunna fa' that!
For a' that, an' a' that,
Their dignities an' a' that;
The pith o' sense, an' pride o' worth,
Are higher rank than a' that.
Then let us pray that come it may,
(As come it will for a' that,)
That Sense and Worth, o'er a' the earth,
Shall bear the gree, an' a' that.
For a' that, an' a' that,
It's coming yet for a' that,
That Man to Man, the world o'er,
Shall brothers be for a' that.
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A Man's A Man For A' That Song - Information Video
Robert Burns
"Portrait Of Burns" Alexander Nasmyth (1758-1840), c. 1787
The Online Scots Dictionary Translate Scots To English.
Published in https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Man%27s_a_Man_for_A%27_That
Image copyright Alexander Nasmyth [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
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