You hear the plaintive wail every New Year’s Eve… a song that lends itself to poor horn playing and inebriated off key virtuoso singers. Sometimes the melancholy melody even prompts a tear or two, despite the fact most of us have no idea what the words mean.
What exactly is “Auld Lang Syne?” Sounds like a horrific disease of the tongue. Perhaps it’s a type of antimicrobial bread mold, or better yet, a process by which monoclonal antibodies are isolated to combat the latest surge of Covid. None of the above.
Roughly translated from the Scots language circa 17 hundred something, it means “Old Long Since.” Like this: “Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind, bla bla bla my dear, in days of old long since. Doesn’t quite have the same ring. Famed poet Robert Burns, who perhaps you’ve heard of, translated the sentiment from a folk song which seems to date back as far as the 1500’s.
Okay, so what does it mean again? What the hell is “old long since?” Basically, the good old days. It’s a remember when kind of thing. Don’t even try to share this with your millennial grandchildren, as they are adamant that nothing of interest existed before mobile technology. If you really want to watch them squirm, make them watch Guy Lombardo re-runs in black and white. Forgive me, I digress.
Back to Auld Lang Syne. What’s confusing is that there is no recognizable interrogative inflection in the opening line, which in essence, asks, “Should we remember the old times despite these damn tears in our eyes, or let them fade and be forgotten?”
What do you think? Here’s food for thought. You remember your multiplication tables without much emotional fanfare, although I always seemed to like the fact that 7x7 equals 49. What about memories of Christmas morn as a child? Hmm. The memory is at once shrouded in, and catalyzed by emotion. Auditory memories such as “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” can render even an emotionally frozen stoic misty eyed. The scent of Balsam Fir? That’s a round trip ticket back to the year of your choosing onboard the olfactory express
The point is, and I believe those moaning horns on New Year’s Eve are well aware of this… you have no choice. Old acquaintances, whether they be lovers, friends, or places, cannot be forgotten. The photos in our mind may no longer be high resolution, perhaps frayed at the edges, but they remain. We are, among other things, a sum of our experiences. If you’re able to suspend disbelief for even a moment, you’ll see that they exist in us even now. Cherish your memories, though painful some may be.
As the song suggests,
“For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne”
Happy New Year!
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