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There was a lass, and she was fair ! At kirk and market to be seen When a' our fairest maids were met, The fairest maid was bonnie Jean. And ay she wrought her [country]1 wark, And ay she sang sae merrilie : The blythest bird upon the bush Had ne'er a lighter heart than she. But hawks will rob the tender joys, That bliss the little lintwhite's nest, And frost will blight the fairest flowers, And love will break the soundest rest. Young Robie was the brawest lad, The flower and pride of a' the glen, And he had owsen, sheep, and kye, And wanton naigies nine or ten. He gaed wi' Jeanie to the tryste, He danc'd wi' Jeanie on the down, And, lang ere witless Jeanie wist, Her heart was tint, her peace was stown! As in the bosom of the stream The moon-beam dwells at dewy e'en, So trembling pure, was tender love Within the breast of bonnie Jean. And now she works her [country's]1 wark, And aye she sighs wi' care and pain, Yet wist na what her ail might be, Or what wad make her weel again. But did na Jeanie's heart loup light, And didna joy blink in her e'e, As Robie tauld a tale o' love Ae e'enin on the lily lea? [While monie a bird sang sweet o' love, And monie a flower blooms o'er the dale, His cheek to hers he aft did lay, And whisper'd thus his tender tale: —]2 “O Jeanie fair, I lo'e thee dear. O, can'st thou think to fancy me ? Or wilt thou leave thy mammie's cot, And learn to tent the farms wi' me? At barn or byre thou shalt na drudge, Or naething else to trouble thee, But stray amang the heather bells, And tent the waving corn wi' me.” Now what could artless Jeanie do? She had na will to say him na ! At length she blushd a sweet consent, And love was ay between them twa.
J. Haydn sets stanzas 1-3, 5-6
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 297.
Glossary:
lintwhite's = linnet
brawest = most handsome
owsen = oxen
kye = cows
nagies = horses
wist = knew
tint = lost
stown = stolen
ilka = every
tent = care for
2 Haydn:
The sun was sinking in the west, The birds sang sweet in ilka grove; His cheek to her's he fondly laid, And whisper'd thus his tale o' love.
Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), title 1: "Bonnie Jean: A Ballad", title 2: "There was a lass" [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), "Willie was a wanton wag", Hob. XXXIa:4bis, JHW XXXII/3 no. 216, stanzas 1-3,5-6 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by ?, Mrs. Miles of Bath (flourished 1815-1842), "Bonnie Jean", published 1842? [ voice and piano ], London : Cramer, Addison & Beale [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Kdys byla hezká dívčina"
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Il y avait une fille", 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: 48
Word count: 337
Il y avait une fille, et elle était belle ! À l'église et au marché pour être vues, Quand toutes nos plus belles filles se rencontraient, La plus belle fille était la belle Jean. Et toujours elle faisait [son travail de paysanne]1, Et toujours elle chantait si joyeusement : Le plus heureux des oiseaux sur son buisson N'eut jamais le cœur plus léger qu'elle. Mais les faucons ravissent les tendres joies, Félicités du nid de la petite linotte, Et le gel gâtera les plus belles fleurs, Et l'amour brisera le repos le plus profond. Le jeune Robie était le plus joli garçon, La fleur et la fierté de toute la vallée, Et il avait bœufs, moutons et bétail, Et neuf ou dix chevaux folâtres. Il alla à un rendez-vous avec Jeanie, Il dansa avec Jeanie sur le pré, Et, bien avant que l'écervelée Jeanie le sache, Son cœur était pris, sa tranquillité volée ! Comme au cœur de la rivière Nichent les rayons de lune, par les soirs humides, Ainsi, tremblant et pur, était le tendre amour Dans le sein de la belle Jean. Et aujourd'hui elle accomplit [son travail de paysanne], Et toujours elle soupire d'alarme et de peine, Et pourtant elle ne sait quel est son tourment, Ou ce qui la fait mieux se sentir. Mais le cœur de Jeanie n'a-t-il pas légèrement bondi, Et la joie n'a-t-elle pas brillé dans ses yeux, Quand Robie lui a raconté une histoire d'amour, Un soir sur les muguets de la prairie ? Tandis que bien des oiseaux chantaient l'amour, Et bien des fleurs fleurissaient le vallon, Il posait souvent sa joue contre la sienne, Et chuchotait ainsi sa tendre histoire : « Oh, belle Jeanie, je t'aime tant. Oh, ne crois-tu pas que tu m'aimes ? Ou laisseras-tu la bergerie de ta maman Pour apprendre à tenir la ferme avec moi ? Tu ne trimeras pas à la grange ou à l'étable, Rien d'autre ne te dérangera, Que de te perdre parmi le clochettes de la bruyère Et t'occuper avec moi des blés ondoyants. » Alors que pouvait faire l'ingénue Jeanie ? Elle ne voulut pas lui dire non ! Elle rosit enfin dans un doux consentement, Et entre eux l'amour resta toujours.
J. Haydn a mis en musique les strophes 1-3, 5-6
1 Haydn : "le travail de sa maman"
2 Haydn :
Le soleil se couchait à l'ouest, Dans chaque bosquet les oiseaux chantaient ; Il posa tendrement sa joue contre sa sienne, Et ainsi lui chuchota son histoire d'amour.
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), title 1: "Bonnie Jean: A Ballad", title 2: "There was a lass"
This text was added to the website: 2014-11-10
Line count: 48
Word count: 373