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by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)

O let me in this ae night
Language: Scottish (Scots) 
O Lassie, are ye sleepin yet,
Or are ye waukin, I wad wit?
For Love has bound me hand an' fit,
And I would fain be in, jo.
  Chorus -- O let me in this ae night,
  This ae, ae, ae night;
  O let me in this ae night,
  I'll no come back again, jo!

O hear'st thou not the wind an' weet?
Nae star blinks thro' the driving sleet;
Tak pity on my weary feet,
And shield me frae the rain, jo. 

The bitter blast that round me blaws,
Unheeded howls, unheeded fa's;
The cauldness o' thy heart's the cause
Of a' my care and pine, jo. 
  Chorus -- O let me in this ae night,
  This ae, ae, ae night;
  O let me in this ae night,
  I'll no come back again, jo!

Her Answer
  
O, tell [na me]1 o' wind an' rain,
Upbraid na me wi' cauld disdain,
Gae back the gate ye cam again, 
I winna let yo in, jo.
  Chorus -- I tell you now this ae night,
  This ae, ae, ae night
  And ance for a' this ae night,
  I winna let ye in, jo.  

The snellest blast, at mirkest hours,  
That round the pathless wand'rer pours
Is nocht to what poor she endures, 
That's trusted faithless man, jo.

The sweetest flower that deck'd the mead,
Now trodden like the [vilest]2 weed --
Let simple maid the lesson read
The weird may be her ain, jo.   

The bird that charm'd his summer day,
And now the cruel Fowler's prey;
Let [witless, trusting, Woman say
How aft her fate's the same, jo!]3
  Chorus -- I tell you now this ae night,
  This ae, ae, ae night
  And ance for a' this ae night,
  I winna let ye in, jo.

Available sung texts:   ← What is this?

•   J. Haydn 

View original text (without footnotes)
Note: ae = one; fain = gladly
winna = will not
gate = way
snellest = keenest
mirkest =darkest
nocht = nothing
weird = fate
ain = own
1 Haydn: "me na"
2 Haydn: "foulest"
3 Haydn:
that to witless woman say: --
"The grateful heart o' man, jo."


Text Authorship:

  • by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "O let me in this ae night", first published 1795 [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), "O let me in this ae night", Hob. XXXIa:61 (1792) [voice, piano, violin, and cello] [ sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), [adaptation] ; composed by Robert Schumann.
      • Go to the text.

Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • GER German (Deutsch) (Wilhelm Christoph Leonhard Gerhard) , "Liebhabers Ständchen ; Mädchens Antwort"


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2003-11-12
Line count: 45
Word count: 182

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