Where Cart rins rowing to the sea,
By mony a flow'r and spreading tree,
There lives a lad, the lad for me,
He is a gallant sailor.
 
Oh I had wooers eight or nine,
They gied me rings and ribbons fine;
And I was fear'd my heart wou'd tine,
And I gied it to the sailor.
 
My daddie sign'd my tocher band,
To gi'e the lad that has the land,
But to my heart I'll add my hand,
And gi'e it to the sailor.
 
While birds rejoice in leafy bowers;
While bees delight in opening flowers;
While corn grows green in summer showers,
I love my gallant sailor.

Glossary
Ayont = beyond
Rowing = rolling
Tine = be lost
Tocher band = marriage settlement, dowry

Composition:

Set to music by (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809), "The auld wife ayont the fire", JHW. XXXII/3 no. 225, Hob. XXXIa no. 195

Text Authorship:

• by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "The Gallant Weaver"

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

• CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Vrchlický) , "Dvorný tkadlec"
• FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "La vieille femme près du feu", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Ferdinando Albeggiani , Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2009-09-02
Line count: 16
Word count: 117