Where's he, for honest poverty That hangs his head, and a' that? The coward slave, we pass him by, We dare be poor for a' that! For a' that, and a' that, Our toils obscure, and a' that, The rank is but the guinea's stamp, The man's the gowd for a' that. For a' that, &c What though on hamely fare we dine, Wear hoddin grey, and a' that; Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine, A man's a man for a' that: For a' that, and a' that, Their tinsel shew, and a' that, The honest man, tho' e'er sae poor, Is king o' men, for a' that. For a' that, &c. Ye see yon birkie, ca'd a Lord, Wha struts and stares, and a' that; Though hundreds worship at his word, He's but a coof for a' that: For a' that, and a' that, His ribband, star, and a' that, The man of independent mind, He looks and laughs at a' that. For a' that, &c. A prince can make a belted knight, A marquis, duke, and a' that; But an honest man's aboon his might, Gude faith he maunna fa' that! For a' that, and a' that, Their dignities, and a' that, The pith of sense, and pride of worth, Are higher rank than a' that. For a' that, &c. Then let us pray, that come it may, As come it will, for a' that, That sense and worth, o'er a' the earth, May bear the gree, and a' that! For a' that, and a' that, It's coming yet, for a' that, That man to man, the warld o'er, Shall brothers be, for a' that. For a' that, &c.
Gowd = of good character
Hoddin grey = coarse cloth
Yon birkie = a familiar epithet, applied chiefly to a forward young man
Coof = blockhead, ninny
Aboon = above
He maunna fa' that = he must not attempt that
Pith = strength
May bear the gree = may be decidedly victor
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), "Up and war them a' Willy", Hob. XXXIa:233, JHW. XXXII/3 no. 247 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Samuil Yakovlevich Marschak (1887 - 1964) ; composed by Georgiy Vasil'yevich Sviridov.
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2009-07-14
Line count: 45
Word count: 283
Kto chestnoj bednosti svoej Sty'ditsya i vse prochee, Tot samy'j zhalkij iz lyudej, Truslivy'j rab, truslivy'j rab i prochee. Pri vsem pri tom, Puskaj bedny' my' s vami, Bogatstvo - shtamp na zolotom, A zolotoj, a zolotoj – My' sami! Vot e`tot shut - prirodny'j lord. Emu dolzhny' my' klanyat`sya. No pust` on choporen i gord, Brevno brevnom, brevno brevnom Ostanetsya! Pri vsem pri tom, Xot` ves` on v pozumentax, - Brevno ostanetsya brevnom I v ordenax, i v ordenax, i v lentax! Korol` lakeya svoego Naznachit generalom, No on ne mozhet nikogo, Net, on ne mozhet nikogo, Net, nikogo naznachit` chestny'm maly'm. Pri vsem pri tom, Sudite ne po plat`yu. Kto chestny'm kormitsya trudom, Takix zovu, takix zovu ya znat`yu! My' xleb edim i vodu p`em, My' ukry'vaemsya tryap`em I vse takoe prochee, A mezhdu tem durak i plut, Durak i plut Odety' v shelk i vina p`yut I vse takoe prochee. Nastanet den` i chas prob`et, Kogda umu i chesti Na vsej zemle pridet chered Stoyat` na pervom meste. Pri vsem pri tom, Mogu vam predskazat` ya, Chto budet den`, kogda krugom Vse lyudi stanut brat`ya! Da, brat`ya! Vse lyudi stanut brat`ya!
Show a transliteration: Default | DIN | GOST
Note on TransliterationsShow untransliterated (original) text
Authorship:
- by Samuil Yakovlevich Marschak (1887 - 1964) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Georgiy Vasil'yevich Sviridov (1915 - 1998), "Честная бедность" [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2021-08-29
Line count: 44
Word count: 194