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"Wha is that at my bower-door?" "O wha is it but Findlay!" "Then gae your gate, ye'se nae be here:" "Indeed maun I," quo' Findlay; "What mak' ye, sae like a thief?" "O come and see," quo' Findlay; "Before the morn ye'll work mischief:" "Indeed will I," quo' Findlay. "Gif I rise and let you in"- "Let me in," quo' Findlay; "Ye'll keep me waukin wi' your din;" "Indeed will I," quo' Findlay; "In my bower if ye should stay"- "Let me stay," quo' Findlay; "I fear ye'll bide till break o' day;" "Indeed will I," quo' Findlay. "Here this night if ye remain"- "I'll remain," quo' Findlay; "I dread ye'll [learn]1 the gate again;" "Indeed will I," quo' Findlay. "What may pass within this bower"- "Let it pass," quo' Findlay; "Ye maun conceal till your last hour:" "Indeed will I," quo' Findlay.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Scott: "ken"
Glossary
maun = must
bide = remain
waukin = awake
din = noise
ken = know
Authorship
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Indeed will I, quo' Findlay", first published 1783 [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 Francis George Scott (1880 - 1958), "Wha is that at my bower-door?", published 1939 [ low voice and piano ], from Scottish Lyrics, Book 5, no. 6, Bayley & Ferguson; confirmed with Songs of Francis George Scott, selected and edited by Neil Mackay, Roberton Publications, Aylesbury 1980, page 96. [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876) ; composed by Johann Karl Gottfried Loewe, Eusebius Mandyczewski.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Wilhelm Christoph Leonhard Gerhard (1780 - 1858) , "Der kecke Finlay" ; composed by Robert Schumann.
- Also set in Swiss German (Schwizerdütsch), a translation by August Corrodi (1826 - 1885) ; composed by Friedrich Niggli.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Kdo do komůrky mé by rád?"
- HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Tamás Rédey) , "Ki vagy te ott a kert alatt?", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-20
Line count: 24
Word count: 143
– Ki vagy te ott a kert alatt? – Ki lenne az? Hát, Findlay. – Mi dolgod erre? Menj hamar! – Ha gondolod. – szólt Findlay. – No mit teszel, mi’ lopva jársz? – O jöjj ki, nézd! – szólt Findlay. – Te hajnalig tilosba hágsz. – Való igaz. – szólt Findlay. – Ha béeresztenélek én… – Eressz be ’hát! – szólt Findlay. – Te dajdajozni kezdenél. – Való igaz. – szólt Findlay. – Belépsz az udvar ajtaján… – Belépek én. – szólt Findlay. – De rostokolni fogsz, talán. – Való igaz. – szólt Findlay. – Ha éjszakára ott maradsz… – Maradhatok. – szólt Findlay. – Gyanítom, újra megzavarsz. – Való igaz. – szólt Findlay. – Mi majd a kertben így folyik… – Na folyjon úgy! – szólt Findlay. – Megőrzöd azt a sírodig. – Való igaz. – szólt Findlay.
Authorship
- Translation from Scottish (Scots) to Hungarian (Magyar) copyright © 2014 by Tamás Rédey, (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), "Indeed will I, quo' Findlay", first published 1783
This text was added to the website: 2014-12-12
Line count: 24
Word count: 140