from Volkslieder (Folksongs)
Translation © by Salvador Pila

O Waly, Waly
Language: English 
Our translations:  CAT FRE ITA
The water is wide I cannot get o'er,
And neither have I wings to fly.
Give me a boat that will carry two,
And both shall row, my love and I.

O, down in the meadows the other day,
A-gathering flowers both fine and gay,
A-gathering flowers both red and blue,
I little thought what love can do.

I leaned my back up against some oak
Thinking that he was a trusty tree;
But first he bended, and then he broke;
And so did my false love to me.

A ship there is, and she sails the sea,
She's loaded deep as deep can be,
But not so deep as the love I'm in:
I know not if I sink or swim.

O! love is handsome and love is fine,
And love's a jewel while it is new;
But when it is old, it groweth cold,
And fades away like morning dew.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   D. Thomas 

D. Thomas sets stanzas 1, 4, 3, 2, 5

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 or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Ai las, ai las", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Hélas, hélas", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Non posso attraversare il mare vasto", copyright © 2012, (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: 20
Word count: 152

Ai las, ai las
Language: Catalan (Català)  after the English 
El mar és vast i no el puc travessar,
ni tampoc tinc ales per volar.
Doneu-me una barca amb lloc per a dos,
i remarem ensems, la meva estimada i jo.

Oh, l’altre dia allà a les prades,
tot collint flors alhora belles i vistoses,
tot collint flors alhora vermelles i blaves,
vaig pensar per un instant en el que l’amor pot fer.

Vaig recolzar l’esquena en un roure
pensant que era un arbre fiable;
però primer es va torçar i després es va trencar;
i la mateixa cosa em féu el fals amor a mi.

H ha un vaixell que navega al mar,
va carregat tan profundament com possible,
però no tan profundament com l’amor que sento:
no sé pas si m’enfonso o suro.

Oh, l’amor és atraient i l’amor és bell,
i l’amor és un joiell quan és nou;
però quan és vell, esdevé fred,
i s’esvaneix com la rosada del matí.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from English to Catalan (Català) copyright © 2024 by Salvador Pila, (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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This text was added to the website: 2024-09-28
Line count: 20
Word count: 154