I’ve been thinking about my grandmother lately. Born in 1904, she passed away thirteen years ago this week. She grew up on a farm, had a garden until she was in her 70s and a tomato plant by her back door after that. Having lived through the Depression, she saved EVERYTHING. I loved spending time at her house because I never knew what treasure would turn up. Her father’s family emigrated from Scotland in the 1870s, and she was fiercely proud of her Scottish heritage. Robert Burns was one her favorite poets, so I thought it would be fitting today to share one of the “national poet of Scotland’s” most famous poems.
![Alexander Nasmyth [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://readingtothecore.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/pg_1063burns_naysmithcrop.jpg)
by Robert Burns
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.
Please be sure to visit Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference for the Poetry Friday Round Up.
Reading to the Core 
Enjoyed hearing about your grandmother. Love that she kept a tomato plant by her back door. 🙂 Thanks for the Bobby Burns verse today!
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Loved the Robert Burns and the story about your grandmother. My grandmother always had a huge garden and was always busy canning, but she never kept a tomato plant by her door! That is priceless!
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A classic…and for good reason! Thanks for sharing your memories with us today.
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Lovely!
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Here’s a song version of it by the late great Eva Cassidy that you might like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_gqctUZ4Oc
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Thank you so much, Tabatha, for directing me to Eve Cassidy’s lovely musical version of this poem! I’m always amazed by artists who are inspired to create something new from another work of art. Isn’t that the very definition of creativity?
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This must be one of the poems I read and loved reading over and over as a child. Thank you for reminding me of this again. Beautiful story about your grandmother. You must miss her a lot.
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I love this Burns poem. My grandfather was from Scotland. I have his Burns poetry collection. Thanks for sharing you Grandmother with us today.
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