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Yon wild mossy mountains sae lofty and wide, That nurse in their bosom the youth o' the Clyde, Where the grouse lead their coveys thro' the heather to feed, And the shepherd tents his flock as he pipes on his reed. Not Gowrie's rich valley nor Forth's sunny shores To me hae the charms o' yon wild, mossy moors; For there, by a lanely, [sequesterèd]1 stream, Resides a sweet lassie, my thought and my dream. Amang thae wild mountains shall still be my path. Ilk stream foaming down its ain, green. narrow strath; For there wi' my lassie the [lang day]2 I rove, While o'er us unheeded flie the swift hours o' love. She is not the fairest, altho' she is fair; O' nice education but sma' is her share; Her parentage humble as humble can be; But I lo'e the dear lassie because she lo'es me. To Beauty what man but maun yield him a prize, In her armour of glances, and blushes, and sighs? And when Wit and Refinement hae polish'd her darts, They dazzle our een, as they [flie]3 to our hearts. But kindness, sweet kindness, in the fond-sparkling e'e Has lustre outshining the diamond to me, And the heart beating love as I'm clasp'd in her arms, O, these are my lassie's all-conquering charms!
J. Haydn sets stanzas 1, 5
1 Grainger: "sequestered clear"
2 Grainger: "daylang"
3 Grainger: "flee"
Glossary
tents: tends
thae: those
ilk: each
lo'e: love
maun: must
een: eyes
Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796) [author's text not yet checked 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 Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882 - 1961), "Yon wild mossy mountains", 1898. [tenor and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809), "Yon wild mossy mountains", Hob. XXXIa no. 119, JHW. XXXII/2 no. 119, stanzas 1,5. [ sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Montagnes sauvages et marécageuses", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 218
Montagnes sauvages et marécageuses, si fières et si vastes Qui nourrissez en votre sein la jeunesse de la Clyde, Où les grouses mènent leur couvée se nourrir dans la bruyère, Et où le berger garde son troupeau en jouant de la cornemuse, Ni la riche vallée de Gowrie, ni les côtes ensoleillées du Forth N'ont pour moi les charmes de vos landes sauvages et tourbeuses ; Car là-bas, auprès d'un ruisseau solitaire et isolé, Demeure la douce fille de mes pensées et de mes rêves. Mon chemin sera toujours au milieu de ces montagnes Où chaque ruisseau écumant descend sa verte, étroite vallée, Là avec ma mie des jours entiers je vagabonde Tandis que volent sur nous, inaperçues, les rapides heures de l'amour. Elle n'est pas la plus belle, mais elle est belle, De bonne mais pauvre éducation, Ses origines aussi humbles qu'il est possible, Mais j'aime cette chère fille parce qu'elle m'aime. Quel homme ne peut donner un prix à la Beauté Dans son armure de clins d'œil, de rougeurs et soupirs ? Et lorsque Esprit et Raffinement ont poli ses flèches, Elles éblouissent nos yeux quand elles volent vers nos cœurs. Mais la gentillesse, la douce gentillesse d'un œil étincelant de tendresse A pour moi un lustre éclipsant le brillant du diamant, Et un cœur battant d'amour quand je suis serré dans ses bras, Ô ce sont les charmes irrésistibles de ma mie !
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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
This text was added to the website: 2019-04-19
Line count: 24
Word count: 236