Early in the eighteenth century, the Scottish poet Robert Burns adapted a poem written by ‘an old man’ and produced the well known song Auld Lang Syne which is sung throughout the world on New Years Eve when the final minutes of the old year fade out and clocks strike midnight and the New Year is welcomed in with great excitement. I am indebted to Wilkipedia for information and translation of Burn’s words into English to understand what the ballad is all about. It seems to convey reflections of courtship days laced with an abundance of supping ale. No wonder the sentiment is popular today when “Eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” (Matt 24:38) is widely practiced.
