Vois ma Chloris | Vois ma Chloris comme les bosquets sont verts

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by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)

Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Behold, my love, how green the groves

Language: Scottish (Scots)

Our translations: FRE

[Behold, my love, how]¹ green the groves,
  The primrose banks how fair;
The balmy gales awake the flowers,
  And wave thy flowing hair.
 
The lav'rock shuns the palace gay,
  And o'er the cottage sings:
For Nature smiles as sweet, I ween,
  To Shepherds as to Kings.

Let minstrels sweep the skilfu' string,
  In lordly lighted ha':
The Shepherd stops his simple reed,
  Blythe in the birken shaw.
 
The Princely revel may survey
  Our rustic dance wi' scorn;
But are their hearts as light as ours,
  Beneath the milk-white thorn!
 
The shepherd, in the flowery glen;
  In shepherd's phrase, will woo:
The courtier tells a finer tale,
  But is his heart as true!
 
These wild-wood flowers I've pu'd, to deck
  That spotless breast o' thine:
The courtiers' gems may witness love,
  But, 'tis na love like mine.

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ in some editions, "My Chloris, mark how" (and titled "My Chloris, mark")

Text Authorship:

by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Behold, my love, how green the groves", written 1794 [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), "Behold, my love, how green the groves", op. 108 (25 schottische Lieder mit Begleitung von Pianoforte, Violine und Violoncello) no. 9 (1815) [ vocal duet with violin, violoncello, and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Vois ma Chloris", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) (Anonymous/Unidentified Artist) , "Schau her, mein Lieb, der Wälder Grün"

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2004-08-03
Line count: 24
Word count: 137

Vois ma Chloris

Language: French (Français) after the Scottish (Scots)

Vois ma Chloris comme les bosquets sont verts
    Comme les primevères des berges sont belles ;
Les brises embaumées réveillent les fleurs,
    Et gonflent tes cheveux agités.

L'alouette évite le joyeux palais
    Et chante au-dessus du cottage :
Car Nature sourit aussi doucement, j'imagine
    Aux bergers qu'aux rois.

Laisse les ménestrels pincer avec art leurs cordes
   Dans les halls illuminés des seigneurs :
Le berger suspend son simple pipeau,
    Heureux dans le bois de bouleaux.

Les festivités princières peuvent contempler
    Avec mépris nos danses rustiques ;
Mais leurs cœurs sont-ils aussi légers que les nôtres
    Sous la blanche aubépine !

Le berger, dans le vallon fleuri
    Avec des phrases de berger fera sa cour :
Le courtisan aura un discours plus précieux,
    Mais son cœur est-il aussi sincère ?

J'ai cueilli ces fleurs sauvages pour couvrir
    Ta poitrine immaculée :
Les joyaux du courtisan peuvent témoigner de l'amour,
    Mais ce n'est pas un amour comme le mien.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Scottish (Scots) to French (Français) copyright © 2014 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), "Behold, my love, how green the groves", written 1794
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2014-07-13
Line count: 24
Word count: 149