Mossgiel Organic Dairy has another claim to fame besides its extra-creamy milk. A very famous writer worked there in the 18th century. Who? Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns. Mr. Burns spent two years on the farm. His face appears on each glass bottle of Mossgiel milk.

You may have heard lyrics written by Mr. Burns before, especially those in “Auld Lang Syne.” (Those three words mean something along the lines of, “in old times past.”) People sing “Auld Lang Syne” at “goodbye” occasions such as funerals, graduations, or to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on December 31.

But here’s a bit of a Burns poem you might enjoy more. He wrote it to a louse (little, blood-sucking bug) on a woman’s bonnet in church! Read it aloud. Some of the words don’t look English! They might make more sense to your ears than to your eyes. They’re written to sound how Scots spoke during Mr. Burns’ time.

“Ye ugly, creepan, blastet wonner,
Detested, shunn’d, by saunt an’ sinner,
How daur ye set your fit upon her,
Sae fine a Lady!
Gae somewhere else and seek your dinner,
On some poor body.”

Can you guess what some of these mysterious words mean?

Poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge called poetry “the best words in the best order.” Mr. Coleridge is one of England’s national poets. National poets have written great poems that represent the people of their nation. 

April is National Poetry Month. Read or write some poems to celebrate. Who would you choose as your country’s national poet? Why? Write to us and tell us: WORLDkidseditor@gwnews.com.

For some ideas on what types of poems to write, see page 3 of your magazine and our original Explore It! at kids.gwnews.org.