My curse upon your venom'd stang, That shoots my tortur'd gums alang, An' thro' my lug gies mony a twang, Wi' gnawing vengeance, Tearing my nerves wi' bitter pang, Like racking engines! When fevers burn, or argues freezes, Rheumatics gnaw, or colics squeezes, Our neibor's sympathy can ease us, Wi' pitying moan; But thee-thou hell o' a' diseases- Aye mocks our groan. Adown my beard the slavers trickle I throw the wee stools o'er the mickle, While round the fire the giglets keckle, To see me loup, While, raving mad, I wish a heckle Were in their doup! In a' the numerous human dools, Ill hairsts, daft bargains, cutty stools, Or worthy frien's rak'd i' the mools, - Sad sight to see! The tricks o' knaves, or fash o'fools, Thou bear'st the gree! Where'er that place be priests ca' hell, Where a' the tones o' misery yell, An' ranked plagues their numbers tell, In dreadfu' raw, Thou, Toothache, surely bear'st the bell, Amang them a'! O thou grim, mischief-making chiel, That gars the notes o' discord squeel, Till daft mankind aft dance a reel In gore, a shoe-thick, Gie a' the faes o' Scotland's weal A townmond's toothache!
Text Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Address To The Toothache" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Wilhelm Christoph Leonhard Gerhard (1780 - 1858) , "Zahnweh" DUT ENG ; composed by Robert Schumann.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2004-06-29
Line count: 36
Word count: 197
Wie du mit giftgem Stachel fast Die Kiefern mir zerrissen hast! Mein Ohr durchdröhnet ohne Rast Dein Marterstich; Du bist der Nerven Pein und Last: Fluch über dich! Stellt Fiebers Glut und Frost sich ein, Zwickt Kolik, reißt's in Mark und Bein, Mitleid und Trost wird uns verleihn Des Nachbar's Herz; Du aber fügst zu Höllenpein Noch Spottes Schmerz! Mir träufelt Speichel über's Kinn; Die Sessel schleudr' ich her und hin; Um's Feuer tanzt mit lustgem Sinn Die kleine Brut, Ein Schwarm von Hummeln -- ach, ich bin Wahnsinn und Wuth! Von allen Plagen auf der Welt, Mißrathenen Ernten, wenig Geld, Der Schurken Zunft, die Netze stellt Mit List und Fleiß, Und dem, was Freud' uns sonst vergällt: Trägst du den Preis! Aus jenem Pfuhl, der Hölle heißt, Wo der Verzweiflung Jammer kreißt, Und jede Furie Satan preis't, Zahnweh, fürwahr! Bist du der größte Plagegeist Der ganzen Schaar. O Schwefelhaupt im Glutpalast, Der du die Qual geboren hast, Und willst, daß Nebel und Morast Auf heitrer Bahn weh'; Gieb Jedem, der Alt-Schottland haßt, Ein Jahr lang Zahnweh!
R. Schumann sets stanzas 1-4, 6
Confirmed with Robert Burns’ Gedichte, deutsch von W. Gerhard, Leipzig: Verlag von Joh. Ambr. Barth., 1840, pages 32-33
Text Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Christoph Leonhard Gerhard (1780 - 1858), "Zahnweh" [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Address To The Toothache"
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Zahnweh", op. 55 no. 2 (1846), published 1847, stanzas 1-4,6 [ SATB chorus ], from Fünf Lieder nach Robert Burns für gemischten Chor, no. 2, Leipzig, Whistling [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Mal de queixal", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Tandpijn", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Toothache", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Dr. Gerrit den Hartogh , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2004-06-29
Line count: 36
Word count: 176