by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Bonie lassie, will ye go
Language: Scottish (Scots)
Available translation(s): FRE
Bonie lassie, will ye go, Will ye go, will ye go, Bonie lassie, will ye go To the birks of Aberfeldy? Now simmer blinks on flow'ry braes, And o'er the chrystal streamlet plays; Come let us spend the lightsome days In the birks of Aberfeldy. Bonie lassie, &c. The little birdies blythely sing, While o'er their heads the hazels hing, Or lightly flit on wanton wing In the birks of Aberfeldy. Bonie lassie, &c. The braes ascend like lofty wa's, The foaming stream deep roaring fa's, O'er-hung wi' fragrant spreading shaws, The birks of Aberfeldy. Bonie lassie, &c. The hoary cliffs are crown'd wi' flowers, White o'er the linns the burnie pours, And rising weets wi' misty showers The birks of Aberfeldy. Bonie lassie, &c. Let Fortune's gifts at random flee, They ne'er shall draw a wish frae me, Supremely blest wi' love and thee In the birks of Aberfeldy.
H. Abrams sets stanzas 1, 5
About the headline (FAQ)
GLOSSARY
Birks = birch trees
Braes = hillsides
Shaws = woody groves by a water side
Linns = waterfalls
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 Harriet Abrams (1760 - 1825), "Birks of Aberfeldy", published c1795, stanzas 1,5 [ three-part chorus a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809), "The birks of Abergeldie", JHW XXXII/3 no. 237, Hob. XXXIa no. 58bis [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Henri Tomasi (1901 - 1971), "The birks of Aberfeldy", published 1938 [ high voice and piano ], from Chansons écossaises, no. 3, Éd. Henry Lemoine, also set in French (Français) [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by René Talba ; composed by Henri Tomasi.
- 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) , "Bílé břízy"
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Les bouleaux d'Abergeldy", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2009-12-29
Line count: 28
Word count: 150