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Thou ling'ring star, with less'ning ray, That lov'st to greet the early morn, Again thou usher'st in the day My Mary from my soul was torn. O Mary! dear, departed shade! Where is thy place of blissful rest? Seest thou thy lover lowly laid? Hear'st thou the groans that rend his breast? That sacred hour can I forget, Can I forget the hallow'd grove, Where by the winding Ayr we met To live one day of parting love! Eternity cannot efface Those records dear of transports past, The image of our last embrace; -- Ah! little thought we 'twas our last! Ayr, gurgling, kiss'd his pebbled shore, O'erhung with wild woods thickening green; The fragrant birch and hawthorn hoar 'Twin'd amorous round the raptur'd scene; The flowers sprang wanton to be prest, The birds sang love on every spray. Till too, too soon, the glowing west Proclaim'd the speed of winged day. Still o'er these scenes my mem'ry wakes, And fondly broods with miser care; Time but the impression stronger makes, As streams their channels deeper wear. My Mary! dear departed shade! Where is thy place of blissful rest? Seest thou thy lover lowly laid? Hear'st thou the groans that rend his breast?
J. Haydn sets stanzas 1, 2, 4
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Cambridge edition, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1897, page 227.
Text Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Thou ling'ring star" [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), "Highland Mary", JHW. XXXII/3 no. 170, Hob. XXXIa no. 159, stanzas 1,2,4 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Hans Guido, Freiherr von Bülow (1830 - 1894) ; composed by Hans Guido, Freiherr von Bülow.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani , Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2009-09-02
Line count: 32
Word count: 202
Toi étoile attardée à la lueur atténuée Qui aime à saluer le petit matin, Tu accompagnes encore une fois le jour Où ma Marie fut arrachée de mon âme. Ô Marie, chère ombre en-allée ! Où est le lieu de ton bienheureux repos ? Vois-tu ton humble amant gisant ? Entends-tu les gémissement de sa poitrine ? Puis-je oublier cette heure sacrée, Puis-je oublier le bosquet sacré Où nos nous rencontrâmes au bord de l'Ayr Pour vivre d'amour une journée de séparation ? L'éternité ne peut effacer La chère mémoire de ces transports passés, L'image de notre dernière étreinte – Hélas ! Nous ne pensions point que ce fut la dernière ! L'Ayr murmurant embrassait les galets de ses rives, Sous les épaisses frondaisons de ses bois sauvages ; Le bouleau odorant et la blanche aubépine S'enlaçaient amoureusement autour de la scène d'extase ; Les fleurs folâtres jaillissaient pour être pressées, Les oiseaux chantaient l'amour sur chaque branche. Jusqu'à ce que trop, trop tôt, le couchant rougeoyant Ne révélât la fugacité du jour ailé. Ma mémoire réveille encore ces scènes, Et les couve tendrement d'un soin avare ; Le temps ne fait que renforcer ces impressions, Comme les torrents creusent plus profondément leurs lits. Ma Marie ! Chère ombre en-allée ! Où est le lieu de ton bienheureux repos ? Vois-tu ton humble amant gisant ? Entends-tu les gémissement de sa poitrine ?
About the headline (FAQ)
"Thou ling'ring star" = "Toi étoile attardée"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.
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Based on:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Thou ling'ring star"
This text was added to the website: 2014-09-21
Line count: 32
Word count: 218