by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Translation by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876)
O wert thou in the cauld blast
Language: Scottish (Scots)
Our translations: FRE
O wert thou in the cauld blast On yonder lea, on yonder lea, My plaidie to the angry airt, I'd shelter thee, I'd shelter thee. Or did Misfortune's bitter storms Around thee blaw, around thee blaw, Thy [bield]1 should be my bosom To share it a', to share it a'. Or were I in the wildest waste, Sae black and bare, sae black and bare, The desert were a Paradise If thou wert there, if thou wert there. Or were I monarch of the globe, Wi' thee to reign, wi' thee to reign, The brightest jewel in my crown Wad be my queen, wad be my queen.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with The Complete Poems and Songs of Robert Burns, edited by James Barke with an Introduction by John Cairney, Collins, Glasgow, 1995, Page 698.
1 note: in some editions, this is "shield"; "bield" means "shelter". Searching Google books, we can see that "bield" appears in more editions scanned than does "shield".Text Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Oh wert thou in the cauld blast"
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "O, kdybys mraznou vichřicí…"
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (József Lévay) , "Oh, ha járnál ott a pusztán..."
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-19
Line count: 16
Word count: 108
Language: German (Deutsch) after the Scottish (Scots)
O säh ich auf der Heide dort Im Sturme dich, im Sturme dich! Mit meinem Mantel vor dem Sturm Beschützt' ich dich, beschützt' ich dich! Und kommt mit seinem Sturme je Dir Unglück nah, dir Unglück nah, Dann wär dies Herz dein Zufluchtsort, Gern teilt ich's ja, gern teilt ich's ja. O wär ich in der Wüste, die So braun und dürr, so braun und dürr, Zum Paradiese würde sie, Wärst du bei mir, wärst du bei mir. Und wär ein König ich, und wär Die Erde mein, die Erde mein, Du wärst in meiner Krone doch Der schönste Stein, der schönste Stein!
Composition:
- Set to music by Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847), "Volkslied", op. 63 (Sechs Duette) no. 5 (1842) [ duet for 2 sopranos with piano ]
Text Authorship:
- by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876), no title, appears in Gedichte, in Robert Burns. Elf Lieder [later 13 Lieder], no. 3
Based on:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Oh wert thou in the cauld blast"
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Siân Goldthorpe , Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-19
Line count: 16
Word count: 108