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O poortith cauld, and restless love, Ye wrack my peace between ye; Yet poortith a' I could forgive An 'twere na for my Jeanie. Chorus: O why should Fate sic pleasure have, Life's dearest bands untwining? Or why sae sweet a flower as love, Depend on Fortune's shining? This warld's wealth when I think on, Its pride, and a' the lave o't; My curse on silly coward man, That he should be the slave o't. Her een sae bonie blue betray, How she repays my passion; But Prudence is her o'erword ay, She talks o' rank and fashion. O wha can prudence think upon, And sic a lassie by him: O wha can prudence think upon, And sae in love as I am? How blest the wild-wood Indian's fate, He wooes his simple Dearie: The silly bogles, Wealth and State, Did never make them eerie.
About the headline (FAQ)
Tune: "Cauld kail in Aberdeen"
Text Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "O poortith cauld" [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), "O poortith cauld. I had a horse", JHW. XXXII/5 no. 414, Hob. XXXIa no. 17bis, one of the Scottish Songs for William Whyte arranged by Haydn [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Michael Tippett (1905 - 1998), "Poortith Cauld", 1956, published 1958 [chorus a cappella], from Four Songs from the British Isles, no. 3 [ sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Ô froide pauvreté", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 25
Word count: 145
Ô froide pauvreté et amour impatient, À vous deux, vous anéantissez ma tranquillité ! Pourtant je pourrais tout pardonner à la pauvreté Si ce n'était pas pour ma Jeanie. Refrain: Ô pourquoi le destin a-t-il un tel plaisir À défaire les plus chères attaches ? Ou pourquoi une fleur aussi douce que l'amour Dépend-elle de l'éclat de la fortune ? Quand je pense à la richesse de ce monde, À sa fierté et à tout le reste, Je maudis le stupide poltron Qui devrait en être l'esclave ! Ses yeux d'un si beau bleu trahissent De combien elle paie en retour ma passion ; Mais prudence est toujours son maître mot : Elle parle de rang et de mode. Oh qui peut penser à la prudence Avec une telle fille à ses côtés ? Oh qui peut penser à la prudence Et être amoureux comme je suis ? Il est béni, l'indien de la forêt vierge Il courtise sa simple bien-aimée : Les hésitations, richesse et position stupides Ne l'ont jamais inquiété.
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), "O poortith cauld"
This text was added to the website: 2014-11-10
Line count: 25
Word count: 163