Scots Wha Hae ~ Robert Burns ~ Poem

"Scots Wha Hae" by Robert Burns is Robert the Bruce's address to his troops before the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 in which Scotland maintained its sovereignty from the Kingdom of England. This spoken version is presented by David Sibbald of http://www.robertburns.plus.com and created by Peigi McCann (Peggy Edwards) of http://www.sierranatureprints.com and features Frank Boyd as William Wallace and Paul Hunter as Robert the Bruce in addition to the illustrations of Sarah Crome of http://www.auchbooks.co.uk/ and N.C. Wyeth. The sword used in the video is an accurate replica of the sword of William Wallace.

Knowing he risked being sent to Botany Bay for such sentiments, Burns agreed to let it be published saying, 'let them insert it as a thing they have met with by accident, and unknown to me.'
When Burns' submitted his ode to Thomson he said, "There is a tradition which I have met with in many places in Scotland, that it (the tune Hey, Tuttie Tatie) was Robert Bruce's march at the battle of Bannockburn. This thought, in my solitary wanderings, warmed me to a
pitch of enthusiasm on the theme of liberty and independence, which I threw into a kind of Scottish ode, fitted to the air, that one might suppose to be the royal Scot's address to his heroic followers on that eventful morning."

The spider represents the Arachnid Bruce observed spinning her web in a cave in which he was hiding out at the lowest point of his life. At the time he was considering leaving the country and never coming back, but in watching the spider who fell time and time again yet continued on to build her web, he was inspired to also continue fighting, telling his men, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again."
The document (and the quote from it) you see is the Declaration of Arbroath, a declaration of Scottish independence written in 1320 as a letter submitted to Pope John XXII confirming Scotland's status as an independent, sovereign state.

Scots, Wha Hae
(Scottish Gaelic: Brosnachadh Bhruis)

'Scots, wha hae wi Wallace bled,
Scots, wham has aften led,
Welcome tae yer gory bed,
Or tae victorie.

'Now's the day, an now's the hour:
See the front o battle lour,
See approach proud Edward's power -
Chains and Slavery.

'Wha will be a traitor knave?
Wha can fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a slave?
Let him turn an flee.

'Wha, for Scotland's king and law,
Freedom's sword will strongly draw,
Freeman stand, or Freeman fa,
Let him on wi me.

'By Oppression's woes and pains,
By your sons in servile chains!
We will drain our dearest veins,
But they shall be free.

'Lay the proud usurpers low,
Tyrants fall in every foe,
Liberty's in every blow! -
Let us do or dee.

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[paulinesmith44]

i remember being taught at school the story of Robert the Bruce in the cave and watching the spider. Until this day I have been laughed at for telling that story. Thank you for retelling it just as i had been taught in a history class all those years ago and that i didn't pick my teacher up wrongly and I haven't been insane for believing it :D