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O wat ye wha's in yonder town, Ye see the ev'ning sun upon? The fairest maid's in yonder town That ev'ning sun is shining on. Now, haply down yon gay green shaw, She wanders by yon spreading tree; How blest, ye flowers that round her blaw, Ye catch the glances of her e'e! How blest, ye birds that round her sing, And welcome in the blooming year! And doubly welcome be the spring, The season to my [Lucy]1 dear! The sun blinks blythe on yonder town, [And on yon bonie braes of Ayr]2; But my delight in yonder town, And dearest joy, is Lucy fair. Without my Love, not a' the charms Of Paradise could yield me joy; But gi'e me Lucy in my arms, And welcome Lapland's dreary sky! My cave would be a lover's bower, Tho' raging winter rent the air, And she, a lovely little flower, That I would tent and shelter there. O, sweet is she in yonder town Yon sinking sun's gane down upon ! A fairer than's in yonder town His setting beam ne'er shone upon. If angry fate is sworn my foe, And suffering I am doom'd to bear, I, careless, quit aught else below, But spare me, spare me, Lucy dear! And while life's dearest blood is warm, Ae thought frae her shall ne'er depart, For she, as fairest is her form, She has the truest, kindest heart.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Cambridge edition, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1897, page 257.
1 note: sometimes "Jeanie", passim (cf. complete editions of Burns from 1897 and 1919); "Lucy" can be found in a 1908 edition.
2 in another edition of Burns : "And on yon bonnie braes sae green"
Glossary
O wat = do you know
Shaw = woody grove or thicket
Braes = steep or sloping riverbanks
Tent = care for
Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "O wat ye wha's in yonder town" [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):
- by (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809), "Fy gar rub her o'er wi' strae", Hob. XXXIa:7bis, JHW. XXXII/3 no. 222. [voice and piano] [text verified 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , title 1: "Ô, savez-vous qui est dans cette ville là-bas", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2009-07-15
Line count: 36
Word count: 236
Ô, savez-vous qui est dans cette ville Que vous voyez là-bas sous le soleil du soir ? La plus belle des filles est dans cette ville Où là-bas brille le soleil du soir ! À présent, là-bas, en-bas du riant et vert bosquet Elle se promène sous cet arbre lointain. Que vous êtes heureuses fleurs épanouies autour d'elle ! Vous pouvez saisir l'éclat de ses yeux. Que vous êtes heureux, oiseaux qui chantez autour d'elle, Et accueillez cette année florissante ! Et que soit doublement bienvenu le printemps, La saison chère à ma Lucy ! Le soleil brille avec bonheur sur cette ville, [Et sur ces belles collines d'Ayr]1 ; Mais mon grand plaisir dans cette ville, Et ma joie la plus chère, c'est la belle Lucy. Sans mon Amour, aucun des charmes Du Paradis ne m'apporterait la joie ; Mais si vous mettiez Lucy dans mes bras, Bienvenu serait le lugubre ciel de Laponie ! Mon antre serait un boudoir d'amoureux, Même si un hiver furieux déchirait le ciel, Et elle, une charmante petite fleur Que je soignerais et abriterais là. Ô qu'elle est douce, dans cette ville lointaine, Sur laquelle le soleil couchant est descendu ! Sur une plus belle qu'elle en cette ville lointaine, Les rayons de son couchant n'ont jamais brillé. Si mes ennemis m'ont juré un mauvais destin, Et si je suis condamné à supporter la souffrance, Je quitterais sans souci toutes les choses d'ici-bas, Mais épargnez-moi, ô épargnez-moi, chère Lucy ! Et tant que le sang le plus cher de la vie sera chaud, Pas une de mes pensées ne la quittera, Car elle, qui a la plus belle apparence, A le cœur le plus sincère et le plus aimable.
1 Burns variation : "Et sur ces belles pentes si vertes"
Authorship:
- Translation from Scottish (Scots) to French (Français) copyright © 2014 by Pierre Mathé, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "O wat ye wha's in yonder town"
This text was added to the website: 2014-08-05
Line count: 36
Word count: 286