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O saw ye bonnie Lesley, As she gaed o'er the Border? She 's gane, like Alexander, To spread her conquests farther. To see her is to love her, And love but her for ever, For Nature made her what she is And never made anither. Thou art a queen, fair Lesley, Thy subjects we, before thee: Thou art divine, fair Lesley, The hearts o' men adore thee. The deil he could na scaith thee, Or aught that wad belang thee: He'd look into thy bonnie face, And say, `I canna wrang thee!' The Powers aboon will tent thee, Misfortune sha' na steer thee; Thou 'rt like themsels sae lovely, That ill they'll ne'er let near thee. Return again, fair Lesley, Return to Caledonie! That we may brag, we hae a lass There 's nane again sae bonnie.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Robert Burns, The Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press, 1919, page 452.
Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Bonnie Lesley" [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 William Beaton Moonie (1883 - 1961), "Bonnie Lesley", published 1927 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Humphrey Procter-Gregg (1895 - 1980), "Bonny Lesley" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Maude Valérie White (1855 - 1937), "Bonnie Lesley", published 1885 [ voice and piano ], London: Boosey [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Krásná Lesley"
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 137
Ô avez-vous vu la belle Lesley
Quand elle a traversé la frontière
Elle est passée comme Alexandre
Pour étendre ses conquêtes plus loin.
La voir, c'est l'aimer,
Et n'aimer qu'elle pour toujours,
Car le Nature la fit ce qu'elle est
Et n'en fit jamais d'autre.
Tu es une reine,belle Lesley,
Nous, tes sujets devant toi :
Tu es divine, belle Lesley,
Le cœur des hommes t'adore.
Le diable ne peut te nuire
Ni à rien qui t'appartiendrait :
Il regarderait ta jolie figure,
Et dirait « Je ne puis te faire du mal ! ».
Les puissances célestes te protégeront,
L'infortune jamais ne s'acharnera sur toi ;
Tu es comme elles si charmante
Que jamais elles ne la souffriront près de toi.
Reviens, belle Lesley,
Reviens en Calédonie !
Que nous puissions nous vanter d'avoir une fille
Qu'aucune autre n'égale en beauté.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of title(s):
"Bonny Lesley" = "Belle Lesley"
"Bonnie Lesley" = "Belle Lesley"
"O saw ye bonie Lesley" = "Ô avez-vous vu la belle Lesley"
Authorship:
- Translation from Scottish (Scots) to French (Français) copyright © 2019 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.
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Based on:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Bonnie Lesley"
This text was added to the website: 2019-04-04
Line count: 24
Word count: 143