by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Translation by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
O how can I be blythe and glad
Language: Scottish (Scots)
Our translations: FRE
O how can I be blythe and glad,
Or how can I gang brisk and braw,
When the bonie lad that I lo'e best
Is o'er the hills and far awa ?
It's no the frosty winter wind,
It's no the driving drift and snaw;
But aye the tear comes in my e'e,
To think on him that's far awa.
My father pat me frae his door,
My friends they hae disown'd me a';
But I hae ane will tak my part,
The bonie lad that's far awa.
A pair o' glooves he bought to me,
And silken snoods he gae me twa;
And I will wear them for his sake,
The bonie lad that's far awa.
O, weary Winter soon will pass,
And Spring will cleed the birken shaw;
And my young babie will be born,
And he'll be hame that's far awa !
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Cambridge edition, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1897, page 234.
Text Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "The Bonie Lad That's Far Awa", written 1788 [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 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827), "O how can I be blythe and glad", op. 108 (25 schottische Lieder mit Begleitung von Pianoforte, Violine und Violoncello) no. 14 (1815) [ voice, violin, violoncello, piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Wilhelm Christoph Leonhard Gerhard (1780 - 1858) , "Weit, weit!" [an adaptation] ; composed by Robert Schumann.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Ten hodný hoch"
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le joli garçon qui est au loin", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Anonymous/Unidentified Artist) , "O wie kann ich wohl fröhlich sein"
Researcher for this page: Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2004-08-03
Line count: 20
Word count: 143
O wie kann ich wohl fröhlich sein
Language: German (Deutsch) after the Scottish (Scots)
O wie kann ich wohl fröhlich sein! Wie kann ich hüpfen flink und drall? Da nun er, den ich so treu gemeint, Ist ferne über Berg und Tal! Nicht ist es eis'ger Winterwind, Nicht Schneegestöber, das mich treibt; Doch kommen Tränen in mein Aug', Denk' ich an ihn, der ferne bleibt. Mein Vater shloß mir seine Tür, Die Meinen kennen mich nicht mehr; Doch noch einen kenn' ich, der mich schützt, Ach, wenn er nur so fern nicht wär'! Doch bald der läst'ge Winter geht, Den Birkenwald schmückt Lenz so lieb; Ich habe Freudentränen nur, Denn er kommt heim, der ferne blieb!
Text Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author, "O wie kann ich wohl fröhlich sein" [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "The Bonie Lad That's Far Awa", written 1788
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: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2004-08-18
Line count: 16
Word count: 103