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by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Whistle o'er the lave o't
 (Sung text for setting by J. Haydn)
 See original
Language: Scottish (Scots) 
Our translations:  FRE
First when Maggy was my care,
Heaven, I thought, was in her air;
Now we're married, spier nae mair,
  But whistle o'er the lave o't.
Meg was meek, and Meg was mild,
Sweet and harmless as a child;
Wiser men than me's beguile'd,
  So whistle o'er the lave o't.

How we live, my Meg and me,
How we love, and how agree;
I care na by how few may see,
  Whistle o'er the lave o't.
Wha I wish were maggots' meat,
Dish'd up in her winding-sheet;
I could write, -- but Meg maun see't,
  Whistle o'er the lave o't.
Glossary

Spear = ask, enquire
Lave = rest, remainder
I care na by = I am indifferent
Maun = must

Composition:

    Set to music by (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809), "Whistle o'er the lave o't", Hob. XXXIa:76bis, JHW. XXXII/3 no. 231 [ voice and piano ]

Text Authorship:

  • by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "First when Maggy was my care"

Go to the general single-text view

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Sifflez sur ce qu'il en reste", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani

This text was added to the website: 2009-07-15
Line count: 16
Word count: 101

Sifflez sur ce qu'il en reste
 (Sung text translation for setting by J. Haydn)
 See original
Language: French (Français)  after the Scottish (Scots) 
Au début, quand Maggy me tenait à cœur,
Je pensais qu'il y avait du ciel dans son air ;
Maintenant nous sommes mariés, n'en demandez pas plus,
  Mais sifflez sur ce qu'il en reste !
Meg était docile et Meg était tendre,
  Douce et innocente somme un enfant :
Elle a trompé plus avisé que moi,
  Alors sifflez sur ce qu'il en reste !

Comment nous vivons, ma Meg et moi,
Comment nous nous aimons et comment nous nous entendons,
Peu m'importe combien peu peuvent le voir,
  Sifflez sur ce qu'il en reste !
Qui  j'aimerais voir être la viande pleine d'asticots
Présentée dans son linceul,
Je pourrais l'écrire (mais Meg ne doit pas le voir),
  Sifflez sur ce qu'il en reste !

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Scottish (Scots) to French (Français) copyright © 2014 by Pierre Mathé, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
    Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

  • a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "First when Maggy was my care"
    • Go to the text page.

Go to the general single-text view


This text was added to the website: 2014-11-10
Line count: 16
Word count: 118

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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