by
Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Had I a cave
Language: English
Had I a cave
On some wild distant shore,
Where the winds howl
To the wave's dashing roar,
There would I weep my woes,
There seek my lost repose.
Till grief my eyes should close,
Ne'er to wake more!
Falsest of womankind,
Can'st thou declare
All thy fond, plighted vows
Fleeting as air?
To thy new lover hie.
Laugh o'er thy perjury,
Then in thy bosom try
What peace is there!
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• J. Haydn About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotes
Confirmed with The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Cambridge edition, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1897, page 280.
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):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Kdybych měl jeskyni"
- 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: 71
Si j'avais une caverne
Language: French (Français) after the English
Si j'avais une caverne
Sur quelque côte lointaine
Où le hurlement du vent
Rugit après l'éclaboussure des vagues,
Là-bas je pleurerais mes malheurs,
Là-bas je chercherais mon repos perdu
Jusqu'à ce que le chagrin ferme mes yeux,
Pour ne plus jamais les rouvrir.
Toi la plus fausse des femmes,
Comment peux-tu prononcer
Tous ces serments,
Aussi légers que l'air ?
Hâte-toi vers ton nouvel amant,
Ris de ton parjure,
Puis dans ton cœur, éprouve
Ce qu'il reste de paix !
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotes
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English 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 English by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Had I a cave"
This text was added to the website: 2014-11-24
Line count: 16
Word count: 79