by Sir Alexander Boswell (1775 - 1822)
Paddy O'Rafferty
Language: English
Paddy O'Rafferty, merry and vigorous, Laugh'd at his lot, tho' 'twas somewhat too rigorous; Poor was his prize from the wheel of life's lottery, Turning the wheel in old Dennis Keogh's pottery. Still he kept turning, and still the clay tapering, Grew a black pot to hold ink for with paper in, Sometimes a brown jar to hoard a small pension in, Sometimes, faith, something not worth a word's mentioning. Arrah, quoth Paddy, and so goes the round about, So come those fortunes they make such a sound about, Some in their save-alls their thousands are gathering, Some from these ink-pots great families fathering. So Mister Keogh I no longer will stay with ye, Luck, whispers Paddy, take heart and away with ye, Stout are your limbs, a good countenance carrying, Why should not Paddy catch money by marrying? Pat took the hint and gambol'd like a mountebank, Small were his dealings with town or with county bank, Short his accounts were, and no need of docqueting, Light was his money-bag, easy in pocketing. Up with his bundle, his trusty stick shouldering, Set them, quoth Pat, stay at home and be mouldering; But a smooth shilling I'd willingly now wager, Paddy O'Rafferty hooks an old dowager.
Authorship:
- by Sir Alexander Boswell (1775 - 1822) [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 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827), "Paddy O'Rafferty", WoO. 153 (20 Irische Lieder mit Begleitung von Pianoforte, Violine und Violoncello) no. 14, G. 224 no. 14, published 1814/6 [ voice, piano, violin, violoncello ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Georg Pertz) , "Paddy O'Rafferty"
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2005-01-12
Line count: 24
Word count: 206