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

Hooly and fairly
Language: Scottish (Scots) 
Our translations:  FRE
Oh! what had I ado for to marry!
My wife she drinks naething but sack and canary,
I to her friends complain'd right early,
  O! gin my wife wou'd drink hooly and fairly.
  Hooly and fairly; hooly and fairly,
  O! gin my wife wou'd drink hooly and fairly.

[...]

And when she comes hame, she lays on the lads,
The lasses she ca's baith limmers and jades,
And ca's mysel' ay an auld cuckold carlie;
  O gin my wife, &c.

Glossary

Gin = if only
Hooly = slowly
Limmers = strumpets
Jades = familiar term among country folks for giddy young girls
Auld cuckold carlie = little old man

Text Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , title 1: "Oh pourquoi ai-je pris la peine de me marier !", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani

This text was added to the website: 2009-08-27
Line count: 11
Word count: 80

Oh pourquoi ai‑je pris la peine de me marier !
Language: French (Français)  after the Scottish (Scots) 
Oh pourquoi ai-je pris la peine de me marier !
Ma femme ne boit rien d'autre que du blanc sec ou du sherry,
Je m'en suis plaint à ses amis très tôt.
  Oh si seulement ma femme ne buvait pas, piano, sans cesse,
  Piano,sans cesse, piano, sans cesse,
  Oh si seulement ma femme ne buvait pas, piano, sans cesse.

[...]

Et quand elle rentre à la maison elle tombe sur les gars,
Elle appelle les filles putains et écervelées,
Et m'appelle moi-même sans cesse un petit vieux ;
  Oh si seulement …

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:

 

This text was added to the website: 2014-10-23
Line count: 11
Word count: 90