by
Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Bonnie Bell
Language: English
Available translation(s): FRE
The smiling Spring comes in rejoicing,
And surly Winter grimly flies;
Now crystal clear are the falling waters,
And bonie blue are the sunny skies.
Fresh o'er the mountains breaks forth the morning,
The ev'ning gilds the ocean's swell;
All creatures joy in the sun's returning,
And I rejoice in my bonie Bell.
The flowery Spring leads sunny Summer,
The yellow Autumn presses near;
Then in his turn comes gloomy Winter,
Till smiling Spring again appear:
Thus seasons dancing, life advancing,
Old Time and Nature their changes tell;
But never ranging, still unchanging,
I adore my bonie Bell.
Confirmed with Robert Burns, The Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press, 1919, page 531.
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):
[ None yet in the database ]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Wilhelm Christoph Leonhard Gerhard (1780 - 1858) , "Die süße Bell " ; composed by Karl Anton Florian Eckert, Alexander Fesca, Louis Huth.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Ma jolie Bell", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Pierre Mathé
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2015-11-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 98
Ma jolie Bell
Language: French (Français)  after the English
Le souriant Printemps arrive s'ébaudissant
Et le grincheux Hiver s'enfuit menaçant ;
Les chutes d'eau sont maintenant claires comme du cristal
Et les cieux sont d'un joli bleu.
Le frais matin se lève sur les montagnes,
Le soir dore la houle de l'océan ;
Toutes les créatures se réjouissent du retour du soleil,
Et je me réjouis de ma jolie Bell.
Le Printemps fleuri précède l'Été ensoleillé,
Le jaune Automne les suit de près ;
Puis à son tour vient le sombre Hiver,
Avant que ne réapparaisse le souriant Printemps :
Les saisons dansent ainsi, la vie avance
Le vieux temps et la nature révèlent leurs changements ;
Mais sans jamais divaguer,toujours immuable,
J'adore ma jolie Bell.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English 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 English by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Bonnie Bell", written 1791
This text was added to the website: 2019-04-04
Line count: 16
Word count: 112