by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
There was a lass, and she was fair !
Language: Scottish (Scots)
Available translation(s): FRE
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 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 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: — “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 text with all available footnotesConfirmed 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
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