by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Translation by Josef Václav Sládek (1845 - 1912)
Contented wi' little, and cantie wi'...
Language: Scottish (Scots)
Contented wi' little, and cantie wi' mair, Whene'er I forgather wi' Sorrow and Care, I gie them a skelp, as they're creeping alang, Wi' a cog o' gude swats and an auld Scotish sang. I whyles claw the elbow o' troublesome thought; But Man is a soger, and Life is a faught: My mirth and gude humour are coin in my pouch, And my Freedom's my Lairdship nae monarch dare touch. A towmond o' trouble, should that be my fa', A night o' gude fellowship sowthers it a'; When at the blythe end of our journey at last, Wha the deil ever thinks o' the road he has past. Blind Chance, let her snapper and stoyte on her way; Be 't to me, be 't frae me, e'en let the jade gae: Come Ease, or come Travail; come Pleasure, or Pain; My warst word is - `Welcome and welcome again!'
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Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796) [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 ]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Spokojen s málem"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 150
Spokojen s málem
Language: Czech (Čeština)  after the Scottish (Scots)
Spokojen s málem a rád, když je víc, z klopot a trampot si nedělám nic, pěnivý džbánek na jeden ráz, veselá písnička zlomí jim vaz. Někdy se shluknou, sršánů roj, však člověk je voják a život je boj, veselost zlato, jež osud mi dal, a volnost můj statek, jejž nevezme král. Kdyby rok celý plný byl běd, veselá noc je zaplaší hned! na konec pouti když zujem se z bot, kdo, k čertu, vzpomene přestálých psot! Ať slepý osud klopýtá dál, co dává, to dává, co sebral, to vzal; nes práci neb oddech, zraduj, či rmuť, volám naň vždycky: Vítán mi buď!
Confirmed with BURNS, Robert. Výbor z písní a ballad, translated by Josef Václav Sládek, Praha: J. Otto, 1892.
Authorship:
- by Josef Václav Sládek (1845 - 1912), "Spokojen s málem" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
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 ]
Researcher for this page: Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2019-08-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 102