Auld Lang Syne a time" in his retelling of fairy tales in the Scots language. Robert Burns sent a copy of the original song to the Scots Musical Museum with the remark, "The following song, an old song, of the olden times, and which has never been in print, nor even in manuscript until I took it down from an old man." Some of the lyrics were indeed "collected" rather than composed by the poet; the ballad "Old Long Syne" printed in 1711 by James Watson shows considerable similarity in the first verse and the chorus to Burns' later poem, and is almost
Ellisland Farm Friars' Carse, Burns agreed to write a poem in exchange for the author including Kirk Alloway in his new book on Scottish Antiquities. Burns's poem was his self-avowed masterpiece "Tam o'Shanter", sent to Francis Grose on 1 December 1790; appearing in "The Edinburgh Magazine" in March 1791 and in Grose's second volume of his Antiquities a month later. Burns's Auld Lang Syne was written at Ellisland, the first version being sent to Mrs Dunlop on 17 December 1788. Burns said in a letter to Mrs Dunlop: " ... is not the Scotch phrase Auld lang syne exceedingly expressive? There is