Ye banks and braes and streams around The castle o' Montgomery, Green be your woods, and falr your flowers, Your waters never drumlie! There simmer first unfauld her robes, And there the langest tarry; For there I took the last fareweel O' my sweet Highland Mary. How sweetly bloom'd the gay green birk, How rich the hawthorn's blossom, As underneath their fragrant shade I clasp'd her to my bosom! The golden hours on angel wings Flew o'er me and my dearie; For dear to me as light and life Was my sweet Highland Mary. Wi' mony a vow and lock'd embrace Our parting was fu' tender; And pledging aft to meet again, We tore oursels asunder; But, oh I fell Death's untimely frost, That nipt my flower sae early! Now green's the sod, and cauld's the clay! That wraps my Highland Mary! O pale, pale now, those rosy lips I aft hae kiss'd sae fondly! And closed for ay the sparkling glance That dwelt on me sae kindly; And mouldering now in silent dust That heart that lo'ed me dearly! But still within my bosom's core Shall live my Highland Mary.
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 David Arditti (b. 1964), "Highland Mary", op. 1 no. 7, first performed 1994, from Burns Songs, no. 7 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Ernst Paul Flügel.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Wilhelm Sturm.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Marie z hor"
- POL Polish (Polski) (Jan Kasprowicz) , "Maryja z gór", Warsaw, first published 1907
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 191
Vy břehy, chlumy, potoky pod Montgomerským hradem, co květů zde u čistých vod, — jak les tu dýchá chladem! Sem léto nejdřív zavítá, zde nejdél roste kvítí a zde jsem na vždy s Marií se musel rozloučiti. Jak byly břízy zeleny, a kvetl hloh v té době, když jejich vonném ve stínu jsem přivinul ji k sobě. Nad sebou peruť andělskou my cítili se chvíti, neb drahou byla Marie mně jako svit a žití. My objali se mnohokrát v tu bolně sladkou chvíli a řekli si, že přijdem zas — a tak se rozloučili! Neb zavál chladný smrti dech a záhy zmrazil kvítí a nad Marií roste drn a v něm se rosa třpytí. O zbledly rety růžové, jež líbal jsem tak vřele, a zavřely se na veky ty oči, moje celé! A srdce, kdys tak horoucí, teď v prachu musí tlíti, však Marie má na věky v mých prsou bude žíti.
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), "Marie z hor" [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: 32
Word count: 152