by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
The small birds rejoice in the green...
Language: English
Available translation(s): FRE
Air -- "Captain O'Kean." The small birds rejoice in the green leaves returning, The murmuring streamlet winds clear thro' the vale; The primroses blow in the dews of the morning, And wild scatter'd cowslips bedeck the green dale: But what can give pleasure, or what can seem fair, When the lingering moments are numbered by care? No birds sweetly singing, nor flow'rs gaily springing, Can soothe the sad bosom of joyless despair. The deed that I dared, could it merit their malice? A king and a father to place on his throne! His right are these hills, and his right are these valleys, Where the wild beasts find shelter, tho' I can find none! But 'tis not my suff'rings, thus wretched, forlorn, My brave gallant friends, 'tis your ruin I mourn; Your faith proved so loyal in hot bloody trial, -- Alas! I can make it no better return!
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotesConfirmed with Burns, Robert. Poems and Songs. Vol. VI. The Harvard Classics. New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1909–14; Bartleby.com, 2001. www.bartleby.com/6/223.html
4 in another version by Burns: "can I" (cf. The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Cambridge edition, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1897, page 318; in this publication the poem has an extra line break in the penultimate line of each stanza.)
Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Song -- The Chevalier's Lament" [author's text checked 2 times 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), "Captain Okain", JHW. XXXII/4 no. 290, Hob. XXXIa no. 224bis [text verified 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , title unknown, copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2011-03-06
Line count: 17
Word count: 148