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by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Translation by Josef Václav Sládek (1845 - 1912)

Highland Mary
Language: Scottish (Scots) 
Ye banks and braes and streams around 
  The castle o' Montgomery, 
Green be your woods, and falr your flowers, 
  Your waters never drumlie! 
There simmer first unfauld her robes, 
  And there the langest tarry; 
For there I took the last fareweel 
  O' my sweet Highland Mary. 

How sweetly bloom'd the gay green birk, 
  How rich the hawthorn's blossom, 
As underneath their fragrant shade 
  I clasp'd her to my bosom! 
The golden hours on angel wings 
  Flew o'er me and my dearie; 
For dear to me as light and life 
  Was my sweet Highland Mary. 

Wi' mony a vow and lock'd embrace 
  Our parting was fu' tender; 
And pledging aft to meet again, 
  We tore oursels asunder; 
But, oh I fell Death's untimely frost, 
  That nipt my flower sae early! 
Now green's the sod, and cauld's the clay! 
  That wraps my Highland Mary! 

O pale, pale now, those rosy lips 
  I aft hae kiss'd sae fondly! 
And closed for ay the sparkling glance 
  That dwelt on me sae kindly; 
And mouldering now in silent dust 
  That heart that lo'ed me dearly! 
But still within my bosom's core 
  Shall live my Highland Mary.

Text Authorship:

  • by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796) [author's text not yet checked 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 David Arditti (b. 1964), "Highland Mary", op. 1 no. 7, first performed 1994, from Burns Songs, no. 7 [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Ernst Paul Flügel.
      • Go to the text.
  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Wilhelm Sturm.
      • Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]

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

  • CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Marie z hor"
  • POL Polish (Polski) (Jan Kasprowicz) , "Maryja z gór", Warsaw, first published 1907


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 191

Marie z hor
Language: Czech (Čeština)  after the Scottish (Scots) 
Vy břehy, chlumy, potoky
   pod Montgomerským hradem,
co květů zde u čistých vod, —
   jak les tu dýchá chladem!
Sem léto nejdřív zavítá,
   zde nejdél roste kvítí
a zde jsem na vždy s Marií
   se musel rozloučiti.

Jak byly břízy zeleny,
   a kvetl hloh v té době,
když jejich vonném ve stínu
   jsem přivinul ji k sobě.
Nad sebou peruť andělskou
   my cítili se chvíti,
neb drahou byla Marie
   mně jako svit a žití.

My objali se mnohokrát
   v tu bolně sladkou chvíli
a řekli si, že přijdem zas
   — a tak se rozloučili!
Neb zavál chladný smrti dech
   a záhy zmrazil kvítí
a nad Marií roste drn
   a v něm se rosa třpytí.

O zbledly rety růžové,
   jež líbal jsem tak vřele,
a zavřely se na veky
   ty oči, moje celé!
A srdce, kdys tak horoucí,
   teď v prachu musí tlíti,
však Marie má na věky
   v mých prsou bude žíti.

Confirmed with BURNS, Robert. Výbor z písní a ballad, translated by Josef Václav Sládek, Praha: J. Otto, 1892.


Text Authorship:

  • by Josef Václav Sládek (1845 - 1912), "Marie z hor" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
    • Go to the text page.

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 ]


Researcher for this page: Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2019-08-11
Line count: 32
Word count: 152

Gentle Reminder

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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