A MAN'S A MAN FOR A' THAT.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 183, 29 September 1876, Page 6

A MAN'S A MAN FOR A' THAT.

(From the ' Nation.') " A man's a man," says Eobert Burns, " For a' that and a' that ; " But though the song be clear and strong It lacks a note for a' that. The lout who'd shun his daily work, Yet claim bis wage and a' that, Or beg when he might earn his bread, Is not a maji for a' that. If all who dine on homely fare Were true and brave, and a' that, And none whose garb is "hodden gray" Was fool or knave, and a' that ; The vice and crime that shame our time Would fade and fall, and a' that, And ploughmen be as good as kings, And churls as earls, and a' that. You see yen brawny, blustering sot, Who swaggers, swears, and a' that, And thinks because his strong right arm Might fell an ox, and a' that, That he's as noble, man for man, As duke or lord, and a' that ; He's but a brute, beyond dispute, And not a man, for a' that. A man may own a large estate, Have palace, park, and a' that, And not for birth, but honest worth, Be thrice a man for a' that; And Donald herding on the muir, Who beats his wife, and a' that, Be nothing but a rascal boor, Nor hah? a man for a' that. It comes to this, dear Eobert Burns — The truth is old, and a' that — " The rank is but the guinea's stamp, The man's the gold for a' that ; " And though you put the minted mark On copper, brass, and a' that, The lie is gross, the cheat is plain, And will not pass for a' that. For a' that and a' that, 'Tis soul and heart, and a' that, That makes the king a gentleman, And not the crown, and a' that ; And man with man, if rich or poor, The best he is, for a' that, Who stands erect in self-respect, And acts the man for a' that.