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O bonie was yon rosy brier That blooms sae far frae haunt o' man, And bonie she, and ah how dear! It shaded frae the ev'ning sun ! Yon rose-buds in the morning dew, How pure, amang the leaves sae green ! But purer was the lover's vow They witness'd in their shade yestreen. All in its rude and prickly bower, That crimson rose how sweet and fair ! But love is far a sweeter flow'r Amid life's thorny path o' care. The pathless wild, and wimpling burn, Wi' Chloris in my arms, be mine, And I the warld nor wish nor scorn, Its joys and griefs alike resign !
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Cambridge edition, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1897, page 291.
Glossary: wimpling = meanderingText Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Yon rosy brier" [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), "The wee, wee man", Hob. XXXIa:124bis, JHW XXXII/3 no. 198 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Ó krásný onen šípek byl"
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor] , Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2008-06-08
Line count: 16
Word count: 106
Ô, il était beau l'églantier là-bas Qui fleurit si loin de la maison de l'homme, Et elle était belle et ô combien chère ! Il donnait de l'ombre au soleil du soir ! Dans la rosée du matin là-bas ces boutons de roses, Comme ils sont purs, parmi les feuilles si vertes ! Mais plus pur était le serment de l'amant Dont fut témoin leur ombre hier au soir. Dans son épineux et grossier berceau, Comme était belle et douce cette rose pourpre ! Mais l'amour est une fleur bien plus douce Au milieu de l'épineux chemin des soucis de la vie. Désert sans route, méandres des rivières, Avec Chloris dans mes bras, soyez à moi, Et je ne désirerais ni ne mépriserais le monde Et renoncerais aussi à ses joies et ses chagrins !
About the headline (FAQ)
Title "Yon rosy brier" = "L'églantier là-bas"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), "Yon rosy brier"
This text was added to the website: 2014-11-10
Line count: 16
Word count: 130