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by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Translation © by Pierre Mathé

O Philly, happy be that day
Language: Scottish (Scots) 
Our translations:  FRE
            CHORUS
He and She
 For a' the joys that gowd can gie,
 I dinna care a single flie !
 The lad/lass I love 's the lad/lass for me
 And that 's my ain dear Willy/Philly
            I
He
 O Philly, happy be that day
 When, roving thro' the gather'd hay,
 My youthfu' heart was stown away,
 And by thy charms, my Philly !
She
 O Willy, ay I bless the grove
 Where first I own'd my maiden love.
 Whilst thou did pledge the Powers above
 To be my ain dear Willy.

            II
He
 As songsters of the early year
 Are ilka day mair sweet to hear,
 So ilka day to me mair dear
 And charming is my Philly.
She
 As on the brier the budding rose
 Still richer breathes, and fairer blows,
 So in my tender bosom grows
 The love I bear my Willy.

            III
He
 The milder sun and bluer sky,
 That crown my harvest cares wi' joy,
 Were ne'er sae welcome to my eye
 As is a sight o' Philly.
She
 The little swallow's wanton wing,
 Tho' wafting o'er the flowery spring,
 Did ne'er to me sic tidings bring
 As meeting o' my Willy.

            IV
He
 The bee, that thro' the sunny hour
 Sips nectar in the op'ning flower,
 Compar'd wi' my delight is poor
 Upon the lips o' Philly.
She
 The woodbine in the dewy weet,
 When ev'ning shades in silence meet,
 Is nocht sae fragrant or sae sweet
 As is a kiss o' Willy.

            V
He
 Let Fortune's wheel at random rin,
 And fools may tyne, and knaves may win !
 My thoughts are a' bound up on ane.
 And that 's my ain dear Philly.
She
 What 's a' the joys that gowd can gie ?
 I dinna care a single flie !
 The lad I love 's the lad for me.
 And that 's my ain dear Willy.
            (CHORUS)

Confirmed with The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Cambridge edition, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1897, page 295.


Text Authorship:

  • by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "O Philly, happy be that day" [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):

    [ None yet in the database ]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in Scottish (Scots), [adaptation] ; composed by Joseph Haydn.
      • Go to the text.

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "O Philly, que ce jour soit heureux", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2014-08-02
Line count: 62
Word count: 312

O Philly, que ce jour soit heureux
Language: French (Français)  after the Scottish (Scots) 
            REFRAIN
Lui et elle
 Pour toutes les joie que l'or peut donner,
 Je ne donnerais pas une seule mouche!
 Le garçon/la fille que j'aime est le garçon/la fille pour moi
 Et c'est mon cher Willy/ma chère Philly.
            I
Lui
 Ô Philly, que ce jour soit heureux
 Quand, vagabondant parmi les meules de foin
 Mon jeune cœur fut ravi,
 Et par tes charmes, ma Philly!
Elle
 Ô Willie, toujours je bénirai le bois
 Où je connus mon premier amour.
 Quand tu promis aux puissances célestes
 D'être mon cher Willy.

            II
Lui
 Tels les chanteurs du début de l'année,
 Plus doux à entendre certains jours,
 Telle certains jours, plus chère pour moi
 Et plus charmante est ma Philly.
Elle
 Telle sur l'églantier la rose en boutons
 Qui toujours embaume davantage et s'épanouit plus belle,
 Tel croît en mon tendre sein
 L'amour que je porte à mon Willy.

            III
Lui
 Le soleil plus doux et le ciel plus bleu
 Qui couronnent les soins de ma récolte de joie,
 Ne furent jamais aussi bienvenus à mes yeux
 Que ne l'est un regard de Philly.
Elle
 L'aile euphorique de la petite hirondelle,
 Quand elle glisse dans le printemps en fleurs,
 Ne m'a jamais apporté autant de nouvelles
 Qu'une rencontre avec Willy.

            IV
Lui
 L'abeille, qui au long des heures ensoleillés
 Sirote le nectar dans le calice de la fleur,
 Est pauvre comparée aux délices
 Que je ressens sur les lèvres de Philly.
Elle
 Le chèvrefeuille dans la rosée humide,
 Quand tombent en silence  les ombres du soir,
 N'est ni aussi parfumé ni aussi doux
 Qu'un baiser de Willy.

            IV
Lui
 Laisse tourner au hasard la roue de la Fortune,
 Les fous peuvent perdre et les vauriens gagner !
 Mes pensées sont toutes attachées à une seule,
 Et c'est à ma chère et unique Philly.
Elle
 Quelles sont les joies que peut donner l'or ?
 Je ne m'en soucie pas plus que d'une seule mouche !
 Le garçon que j'aime est le garçon pour moi,
 Et c'est mon cher et unique Willy.
            (REFRAIN)

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), "O Philly, happy be that day"
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2014-08-02
Line count: 62
Word count: 337

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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