Braw, braw lads on Yarrow braes,
  Ye wander thro'  the blooming heather;
But Yarrow braes, nor Ettrick shaws,
  Can match the lads o' Galla Water.

But there is ane, a secret ane,
  Aboon them a' I loo him better;
And I'll be his, and he'll be mine,
  The bonnie lad o' Galla Water.

 ... 

It ne'er was wealth, it ne'er was wealth,
  That coft contentment, peace, or pleasure;
The bands and bliss o' mutual love,
  O that's the chiefest warld's treasure!

GLOSSARY
Braw = fine, handsome;
Braes= hillsides;
Shaws = woody groves by a water side;
Aboon = above;
Coft = bought.

Composition:

Set to music by (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809), "Gala Water", JHW. XXXII/4 no. 4, Hob. XXXIa no. 15ter, stanzas 1-2,4

Text Authorship:

• by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Song -- Braw Lads o' Gala Water"

Go to the general single-text view

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

• FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Beaux garçons de Gala Water", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani

This text was added to the website: 2011-03-06
Line count: 16
Word count: 107