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by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)

It was the charming month of May
Language: Scottish (Scots) 
Our translations:  FRE
It was the charming month of May,
When all the flow'rs were fresh and gay.
One morning, by the break of day,
  The youthful, charming Chloe --
From peaceful slumber she arose,
Girt on her mantle and her hose,
And o'er the flow'ry mead she goes --
  The youthful, charming Chloe.

Chorus:
  Lovely was she by the dawn,
    Youthful Chloe, charming Chloe,
  Tripping o'er the pearly lawn,
    The youthful, charming Chloe.

The feather'd people you might see
Perch'd all around on every tree,
In notes of sweetest melody
  They hail the charming Chloe;
Till, painting gay the eastern skies,
The glorious sun began to rise,
Outrival'd by the radiant eyes
  Of youthful, charming Chloe.
     Lovely was she, &c.

Available sung texts:   ← What is this?

•   J. Haydn 

J. Haydn sets stanzas 2-3

About the headline (FAQ)

View text with all available footnotes

Confirmed with Burns, Robert. Poems and Songs. Vol. VI. The Harvard Classics. New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1909–14. Tune: Daintie Davie


Text Authorship:

  • by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "The charming month of May", written 1794 [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), "Green sleeves", JHW. XXXII/3 no. 262, Hob. XXXIa no. 112b, stanzas 2-3, note: the sung text begins 'O lovely was she by the dawn' [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Hermann Wolff (1845 - 1902) ; composed by Ignaz Brüll.
      • Go to the text.

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

  • CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Byl krásný máj"
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-04-02
Line count: 22
Word count: 115

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