O saw ye bonnie Lesley, As she gaed o'er the Border? She 's gane, like Alexander, To spread her conquests farther. To see her is to love her, And love but her for ever, For Nature made her what she is And never made anither. Thou art a queen, fair Lesley, Thy subjects we, before thee: Thou art divine, fair Lesley, The hearts o' men adore thee. The deil he could na scaith thee, Or aught that wad belang thee: He'd look into thy bonnie face, And say, `I canna wrang thee!' The Powers aboon will tent thee, Misfortune sha' na steer thee; Thou 'rt like themsels sae lovely, That ill they'll ne'er let near thee. Return again, fair Lesley, Return to Caledonie! That we may brag, we hae a lass There 's nane again sae bonnie.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Robert Burns, The Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press, 1919, page 452.
Text Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Bonnie Lesley" [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 William Beaton Moonie (1883 - 1961), "Bonnie Lesley", published 1927 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Humphrey Procter-Gregg (1895 - 1980), "Bonny Lesley" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Maude Valérie White (1855 - 1937), "Bonnie Lesley", published 1885 [ voice and piano ], London: Boosey [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Krásná Lesley"
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 137
Kdo viděl krásnou Lesley jít z vlasti za hranice? Šla jako Alexander v dál dobývati více. Ji miluje, kdo spatří a miluje, až skoná, tak stvořila ji příroda a žádnou již, jak ona. Jsi kněžnou, krásná Lesley, my poddaných tvých řada, jsi božskou, krásná Lesley, kdo muž, ti k nohám padá. Čert nemoh' by ti křivdit a ničemu, co tvého, on pohleď by v tvou milou tvář a řek' by: Nechme všeho! A tobě Moci vyšší přát budou štítu svého, neb krásná jsi jak ony, i ochrání tě zlého. Ó vrať se, krásná Lesley, zas do vlasti, ty zrádná, — ať máme v Škotech dívčinu, jíž rovna není žádná.
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), "Krásná Lesley" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Bonnie Lesley"
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: 24
Word count: 109