by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Translation by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876)
John Anderson, my jo, John
Language: Scottish (Scots)
Our translations: FRE
John Anderson, my jo, John, When we were first acquent, Your locks were like the raven, Your bonie brow was brent; But now your brow is beld, John, Your locks are like the snaw; But blessings on your frosty pow, John Anderson, my jo! John Anderson, my jo, John, We clamb the hill thegither, And mony a cantie day, John, We've had wi' ane anither: Now we maun totter down, John, But hand in hand we'll go, And sleep thegither at the foot, John Anderson, my jo!
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Cambridge edition, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1897, page 223.
Text Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "John Anderson, my jo"
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Jan Andersen"
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Valter Juva) , "John Anderson"
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "John Anderson, mon chéri", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (József Lévay) , "John Anderson"
- POL Polish (Polski) (Jan Kasprowicz) , "Dżon Anderson, ty mój!", Warsaw, first published 1907
- RUS Russian (Русский) (Mikhail Larionovich Mikhailov) , no title, first published 1856
Researcher for this page: Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 87
John Anderson, mein Lieb Matches original text
Language: German (Deutsch) after the Scottish (Scots)
John Anderson, mein Lieb, John, Als ich zuerst dich sah, Wie dunkel war dein Haar, und Wie glatt dein Antlitz da! Doch jetzt ist kahl dein Haupt, John, Schneeweiß dein Haar und trüb' Dein Aug', doch Heil und Segen dir, John Anderson, mein Lieb. John Anderson, mein Lieb, John, Bergauf stiegst du mit mir: Und manchen lust'gen Tag, John, Zusammen hatten wir: Nun gehts der Berg hinab, John, Doch Hand in Hand! Komm gib Sie mir! In einem Grab' ruh'n wir, John Anderson, mein Lieb!
Composition:
- Set to music by Henry Hugo Pierson (1816 - 1873), as Henry Hugo Pearson, "John Anderson, mein Lieb", published 1842 [ voice and piano ], from 6 Lieder von Freiligrath nach R. Burns, no. 4, Leipzig, Kistner, also set in Scottish (Scots)
Text Authorship:
- by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876), "John Anderson"
Based on:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "John Anderson, my jo"
See other settings of this text.
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website: 2003-12-02
Line count: 16
Word count: 85