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Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled, Scots, wham Bruce has aften led, Welcome to your gory bed Or to victorie! Now's the day, and now's the hour : See the front o' battle lour, See approach proud Edward's power – Chains and slaverie! Wha will be a traitor knave? Wha can fill a coward's grave? Wha sae base as be a slave? Let him turn and flee! Wha, for Scotland's King and Law, Freedom's sword will strongly draw, Free-man stand, or free-man fa', Let him on wi' me! By oppression's woes and pains, By your sons in servile chains, We will drain our dearest veins But they shall be free! Lay the proud usurpers low! Tyrants fall in every foe! Liberty's in every blow! Let us do or die!
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Cambridge edition, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1897, page 285.
Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Scots, wha hae" [author's text checked 1 time 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 David Arditti (b. 1964), "Bruce's March to Bannockburn", op. 1 no. 5, first performed 1994, from Burns Songs, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809), "Hey tutti taiti", Hob. XXXIa:174, JHW. XXXII/3 no. 243 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Francis George Scott (1880 - 1958), "Scots, wha hae", published 1939 [ low voice and piano ], from Scottish Lyrics, Book 5, no. 13, Bayley & Ferguson; confirmed with Songs of Francis George Scott, selected and edited by Neil Mackay, Roberton Publications, Aylesbury 1980, page 134. [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Před bitvou u Bannockburnu"
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- POL Polish (Polski) (Jan Kasprowicz) , "Bruce’a odezwa do wojsk pod Bannockburn", Warsaw, first published 1907
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 129
Écossais qui avez saigné sous Wallace, Écossais que Bruce a souvent menés, Bienvenue à votre couche sanglante, Ou à la victoire ! C'est maintenant le jour et maintenant l'heure : Voyez céder le front de la bataille, Voyez approcher les forces du fier Édouard – Chaînes et esclavage ! Qui veut être une traîtresse canaille ? Qui peut emplir sa tombe d'un couard ? Qui serait assez bas pour être esclave ? Laissez-le se retourner et s'enfuir ! Celui qui pour le Roi et la Loi d'Écosse Tire fermement son épée de Liberté, Homme libre debout ou homme libre à terre, Qu'il me suive ! Par les malheurs et les peines de l'oppression, Par vos fils dans les chaînes de l'esclave, Nous assécherons nos veines les plus chères Mais ils seront libres ! Abattez les fiers usurpateurs ! Avec chaque ennemi tombe un tyran ! La liberté est dans chaque coup ! En avant ou mourons !
About the headline (FAQ)
"Scots, wha hae" = "Écossais qui avez"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), "Scots, wha hae"
This text was added to the website: 2014-09-21
Line count: 24
Word count: 157