by
Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
The slave's lament
Language: English
It was in sweet Senegal
That my foes did me enthral,
For the lands of Virginia--ginia O !
Torn from that lovely shore,
I must never see it more,
And alas! I am weary, weary O!
All on that charming coast
Is no bitter snow and frost,
Like the lands of Virginia--ginia O;
There streams for ever flow
And there flow'rs for ever blow,
And alas! I am weary, weary O!
The burden I must bear,
While the cruel scourge I fear,
In the lands of Virginia--ginia O !
And I think on friends most dear
With the bitter bitter tear,
And alas! I am weary, weary O!
Confirmed with
The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Cambridge edition, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1897, page 246.
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , title 1: "Complainte de l'esclave ", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani , Pierre Mathé
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2013-03-25
Line count: 18
Word count: 106
Complainte de l'esclave
Language: French (Français) after the English
C'était au doux Sénégal
Que par mes ennemis je fus asservi,
Pour les terres de Virginie–ginie, oh !
Arraché de cette charmante côte,
Je ne la reverrai plus jamais,
Et hélas ! Je suis usé, usé, oh !
Rien sur cette côte charmante
N'est aussi cruel que neige et gelée,
Comme sur les terres de Virginie–ginie, oh !
Là-bas les rivières coulent toujours
Et là-bas les fleurs fleurissent toujours,
Et hélas ! Je suis usé, usé, oh !
Je dois porter un fardeau
Et je crains le fouet cruel,
Dans les terres de Virginie–ginie, oh !
Et je pense à mes très chers amis
Avec d'amères larmes,
Et hélas ! Je suis usé, usé, oh !
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English 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 English by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "The slave's lament"
This text was added to the website: 2014-09-22
Line count: 18
Word count: 107
