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Oh! Thou are the lad of my heart, Willy, There's love and there's life and glee, There's a cheer in thy voice, and thy bounding step, And there's bliss in thy blithesome e'e. But, oh, how my heart was tried, Willy, For little I thought to see, That the lad who won the lasses all, Would ever be won by me. Adown this path we came, Willy, T'was just at this hour of eve; And will he or will he not, I thought, My fluttering heart relieve? So oft as he paused, as we saunter'd on, T'was fear and hope and fear; But here at the wood, as we parting stood, T'was rapture his vows to hear! Ah vows so soft thy vows, Willy! Who would not, like me, be proud! Sweet lark! with thy soaring echoing song, Come down from thy rosy cloud. Come down to thy nest, and tell thy mate, But tell thy mate alone, Thou hast seen a maid, whose heart of love, Is merry and light as thine own.
Authorship
- by William Smyth (1765 - 1849), "O! thou art the lad of my heart" [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), "O! thou art the lad of my heart", op. 108 (25 schottische Lieder mit Begleitung von Pianoforte, Violine und Violoncello) no. 11 (1815). [voice, violin, violoncello, piano] [text verified 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Anonymous/Unidentified Artist) , title 1: "O, du nur bist mein Herzensbub"
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , title 1: "Oh ! tu es le garçon de mon cœur, Willy", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2004-08-04
Line count: 24
Word count: 174
Oh ! tu es le garçon de mon cœur, Willy, Il y a de l'amour, et il y a de la vie et de l'allégresse, Il y a de la gaieté dans ta voix et dans ton pas bondissant, Et il y a du bonheur dans ton œil joyeux. Mais, oh ! comme mon cœur a été éprouvé, Willy, Pendant un instant j'ai pensé voir Que le garçon qui séduisait toutes les filles, Ne serait jamais séduit par moi. Par ce chemin nous descendions, Willy, C'était juste à cette heure du soi ; Et viendra-t-il ou non, je pensais, Soulager mon cœur battant ? Aussi souvent qu'il faisait une pause quand nous nous baladions, C'était crainte et espoir et crainte ; mais ici au bois, quand on sa quittait, Ce fut l'extase d'entendre ses vœux ! Ah ! des vœux aussi doux que les tiens, Willy ! Qui ne serait pas, comme moi, fière ? Douce alouette ! avec ton chant qui plane et résonne, Descends de ton nuage rose. Descends dans ton nid, et dis à ton époux, Mais dis à ton époux seulement Que tu as vu une jeune fille, dont le cœur amoureux Est aussi joyeux et léger que le tien.
Authorship
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2014 by Guy Laffaille, (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:
- a text in English by William Smyth (1765 - 1849), "O! thou art the lad of my heart"
This text was added to the website: 2014-01-14
Line count: 24
Word count: 204