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by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)

Farewell, thou fair day
 (Sung text for setting by J. Haydn)
 Matches original text
Language: English 
Our translations:  FRE
Farewell, thou fair day, thou green earth, and ye skies,
Now gay with the broad setting sun! 
Farewell! love and friendship, ye dear tender ties –
Our race of existence is run !
Thou grim King of Terrors, thou Life's gloomy foe,
Go frighten the coward and slave !
Go teach them to tremble, fell tyrant, but know, 
No terrors hast thou to the brave.

Thou strik'st the poor peasant – he sinks in the dark, 
Nor saves e'en the wreck of a name !
Thou strik'st the young hero -- a glorious mark,
He falls in the blaze of his fame.
In the field of proud honour, our swords in our hands, 
Our king and our country to save,
While victory shines on Life's last ebbing sands, 
O, who would not die with the brave ?
Confirmed with The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Cambridge edition, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1897, page 246.

Composition:

    Set to music by (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809), "Farewell, thou fair day", subtitle: "My lodging is on the cold ground", JHW. XXXII/5 no. 427, Hob. XXXIa no. 262

Text Authorship:

  • by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "The song of Death"

Go to the general single-text view

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le chant de mort", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani

This text was added to the website: 2012-02-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 132

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