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My heart is a breaking, dear Tittie, Some counsel unto me come len'; To anger them a' is a pity, But what will I do wi' Tam Glen? - I'm thinking, wi' sic a braw fellow, In poortith I might mak a fen': What care I in riches to wallow, If I mauna marry Tam Glen. - There 's Lowrie the laird o' Dumeller, "Gude day to [you brute" he]1 comes ben: He brags and he blaws o' his siller, But when will he dance like Tam Glen? - My Minnie does constantly deave me, And bids me beware o' young men; They flatter, she says, to deceive me, But wha can think sae o' Tam Glen? - My Daddie says, gin I'll forsake him, He'll gie me gude hunder marks ten: But if it 's ordain'd I maun take him, O wha will I get but Tam Glen? Yestreen at the Valentines' dealing, My heart to my mou gied a sten; For thrice I drew ane without failing, And thrice it was written, Tam Glen. - The last Halloween I was waukin My droukit sark-sleeve, as ye ken; His likeness cam up the house staukin, And the very grey breeks o' Tam Glen! Come counsel, dear Tittie, don't tarry; I'll gie you my bonie black hen, [Gif]2 ye will advise me to marry The lad I lo'e dearly, Tam Glen. -
1 Haydn: "you," (coof) he"
2 Haydn: "Gin"
Glossary
Mucking = cleaning dung out of a byre or stable
Titty = sister
Poortith = poverty
Mak' a fen'= to be above want, to make shift to live
Mauna = must not
Coof = blockhead, ninny
Ben = through to the inner room or parlour
Siller = silver, money
Minny = mother
Deave = annoy with talk
Gin = if
Gied a sten = moved with sudden motion
Waukin = making cloth thick and felted by a process, performed by hand, of soaking, beating and shrinking
Drookit = drenched
Sark-sleeve = shirt-sleeve
Breeks = breeches
Authorship
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796) [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 (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809), "The mucking o' Geordie's byre", Hob. XXXIa:51bis, JHW. XXXII/3 no. 215 [voice and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by L. G. Silbergleit , "Franz" [an adaptation] FRE ; composed by Carl Goldmark.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Tam Glen", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Ferdinando Albeggiani
Text added to the website: 2009-07-15 00:00:00
Last modified: 2014-07-28 11:29:55
Line count: 32
Word count: 232
Mon cœur se brise, chère sœur, Viens me donner quelques conseils. Il est triste de tous les fâcher, Mais que faire de Tam Glen ? Je crois qu'avec un aussi brave garçon, Dans la pauvreté, je pourrais m'en sortir. Que m'importe de se rouler dans la richesse, Si je ne peux marier Tom Glen ? Il y a Lowrie, le propriétaire de Dumeller : « Bonjour à toi », [rustre]1, il entre ! Il fanfaronne et fait sonner ses écus, Mais quand dansera-t-il comme Tam Glen ? Ma maman me casse sans cesse les oreilles Et me commande de me méfier des jeunes hommes ; Elle dit qu'ils me flattent pour me décevoir, Mais qui peut penser ça de Tam Glen ? Mon papa dit que si je renonce à lui, Il me donnera dix centaines de bon marcs : Mais s'il est décidé que je ne l'ai pas, Qui d'autre puis-je avoir que Tam Glen ? Hier soir, à la loterie de la Saint Valentin, Mon cœur bondit jusqu'à mes lèvres, Car trois fois j'en tirai un sans faillir, Et trois fois il était écrit « Tam Glen » ! À la dernière Toussaint j'étais occupée À ma manche de chemise mouillée, comme vous savez ; Sa semblable vint rôder dans la maison, Et c'étaient les braies bien grises de Tam Glen ! Viens me conseiller, chère sœur, ne tarde pas ! Je te donnerai ma jolie poule noire, Si tu me conseilles de me marier Avec le garçon que j'aime tant, Tam Glen.
1 Haydn: "nigaud"
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:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Text added to the website: 2014-10-23 00:00:00
Last modified: 2014-10-23 12:30:35
Line count: 32
Word count: 255