Hee Balou, my sweet wee Donald, Picture o' the great Clanronald! Brawlie kens our wanton Chief What gat my young Highland thief. (Hee Balou!) Leeze me on thy bonnie craigie! And thou live, thou'll steal a naigie, Travel the country thro' and thro' , and bring hame a Carlisle cow! Thro' the Lawlands, o'er the Border, Weel, my babie, may thou furder! Herry the louns o' the laigh Countrie, Syne to the Highlands hame to me!
Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796) [author's text not yet checked 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 (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "The Highland Balou", op. 41 no. 2, from A Charm of Lullabies, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Wilhelm Christoph Leonhard Gerhard (1780 - 1858) , "Hochländisches Wiegenlied" ; composed by Heinrich von Sahr, Robert Schumann.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Ukolébavka"
- ENG English (David K. Smythe) , "The Highland lullaby", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (David K. Smythe) , copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Bertram Kottmann) , "Wiegenlied aus den schottischen Highlands", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: David K. Smythe
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 13
Word count: 76
Schlafe, süßer, kleiner Donald, Ebenbild des großen Ronald! Wer ihm kleinen Dieb gebar, Weiß der edle Clan auf's Haar. Schelm, hast Äuglein schwarz wie Kohlen! Wenn du groß bist, stiehl ein Fohlen; Geh' die Ebne ab und zu, Bringe heim 'ne Carlisle Kuh! Darfst im Niederland nicht fehlen; Dort, mein Bübchen, magst du stehlen; Stiehl dir Geld und stiehl dir Glück, Und in's Hochland komm zurück!
Confirmed with Robert Burns’ Gedichte deutsch von W. Gerhard, Leipzig: Verlag von Joh. Ambr. Barth, 1840, page 233
Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Christoph Leonhard Gerhard (1780 - 1858), "Hochländisches Wiegenlied" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Heinrich von Sahr (1821 - 1874), "Hochländisches Wiegenlied", op. 11 (Sechs Lieder für Alt mit Pianoforte) no. 4, published 1878 [ alto and piano ], Leipzig, Senff [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Hochländisches Wiegenlied", op. 25 no. 14 (1840), published 1840 [ voice and piano ], from Myrten, no. 14, Leipzig, Kistner [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Marta Garcia Cadena) , "La cançó de bressol de la terra alta", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Hooglands wiegenlied", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Highland lullaby", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Pilar Lirio , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-19
Line count: 12
Word count: 67