by
Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
The happy trio
Language: Scottish (Scots)
Available translation(s): FRE
O Willie brew'd a peck o' maut,
And Rob and Allan cam to see;
Three blyther hearts, that lee lang night,
Ye wad na found in Christendie.
Chorus:
We are na fou, we're [nae]1 that fou,
But just a drappie in our e'e;
The cock may craw, the day may daw,
And ay we'll taste the barley bree.
Here are we met, three merry boys,
Three merry boys I trow are we;
And mony a night we've merry been,
And mony mae we hope to be!
We are na fou, we're nae that fou...
It is the moon, I ken her horn,
That 's blinkin in the lift sae hie;
She shines sae bright to wyle us hame,
But by my sooth she'll wait a wee!
We are na fou, we're nae that fou...
Wha first shall rise to gang awa,
A cuckold, coward loun is he!
Wha first beside his chair shall fa',
He is the king amang us three!
We are na fou, we're nae that fou...
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Haydn: "no"
Glossary
Maut = dry measure of malt
Lee lang = live-long
We are na fou = we are not drunk
Drappy = little drop
Bree = ale
Lift = sky
Wyle = entice
Loun = ragamuffin
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Veselá trojice"
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le joyeux trio", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 169
Le joyeux trio
Language: French (Français)  after the Scottish (Scots)
Oh Willie brassa un petit peu de malt,
Et Rob et Allan vinrent le voir ;
Trois cœurs plus joyeux, cette longue nuit,
Vous n'en trouverez pas dans la Chrétienté.
Chœur
Nous sommes pas saouls, nous sommes pas si saouls,
C'est juste une petite goutte dans l'œil ;
Le coq peut chanter, le jour peut se lever,
Toujours nous goûterons le jus de l'orge.
Nous nous sommes rencontrés ici, trois joyeux gars,
Trois joyeux gars, nous sommes je crois ;
Et nous avons été joyeux bien des nuits,
Et espérons l'être encore bien d'autres !
Nous sommes pas saouls, nous sommes pas si saouls …
C'est la lune, je reconnais son croissant,
Qui scintille si haut dans le ciel ;
Elle brille si claire pour nous attirer à la maison
Mais en vérité, elle attendra un moment !
Nous sommes pas saouls, nous sommes pas si saouls …
Celui qui le premier se lèvera pour partir,
Sera un cocu, un misérable froussard !
Celui qui le premier tombera de sa chaise,
Sera le roi d'entre nous trois !
Nous sommes pas saouls, nous sommes pas si saouls …
Authorship:
- Translation from Scottish (Scots) to French (Français) copyright © 2019 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:
This text was added to the website: 2019-04-19
Line count: 24
Word count: 188