by
Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
O bonie was yon rosy brier
Language: Scottish (Scots)
Available translation(s): FRE
O bonie was yon rosy brier
That blooms sae far frae haunt o' man,
And bonie she, and ah how dear!
It shaded frae the ev'ning sun !
Yon rose-buds in the morning dew,
How pure, amang the leaves sae green !
But purer was the lover's vow
They witness'd in their shade yestreen.
All in its rude and prickly bower,
That crimson rose how sweet and fair !
But love is far a sweeter flow'r
Amid life's thorny path o' care.
The pathless wild, and wimpling burn,
Wi' Chloris in my arms, be mine,
And I the warld nor wish nor scorn,
Its joys and griefs alike resign !
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Cambridge edition, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1897, page 291.
Glossary: wimpling = meandering
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) , "Ó krásný onen šípek byl"
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Guy Laffaille
[Guest Editor] , Pierre Mathé
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2008-06-08
Line count: 16
Word count: 110
Ô, il était beau l'églantier là‑bas
Language: French (Français)  after the Scottish (Scots)
Ô, il était beau l'églantier là-bas
Qui fleurit si loin de la maison de l'homme,
Et elle était belle et ô combien chère !
Il donnait de l'ombre au soleil du soir !
Dans la rosée du matin là-bas ces boutons de roses,
Comme ils sont purs, parmi les feuilles si vertes !
Mais plus pur était le serment de l'amant
Dont fut témoin leur ombre hier au soir.
Dans son épineux et grossier berceau,
Comme était belle et douce cette rose pourpre !
Mais l'amour est une fleur bien plus douce
Au milieu de l'épineux chemin des soucis de la vie.
Désert sans route, méandres des rivières,
Avec Chloris dans mes bras, soyez à moi,
Et je ne désirerais ni ne mépriserais le monde
Et renoncerais aussi à ses joies et ses chagrins !
About the headline (FAQ)
Title "Yon rosy brier" = "L'églantier là-bas"
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), "Yon rosy brier"
This text was added to the website: 2014-11-10
Line count: 16
Word count: 135