The Highland Balou | Hee Balou, my sweet wee Donald

by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)

The Highland Balou

Language: Scottish (Scots)

Our translations: ENG FRE GER

Hee Balou, my sweet wee Donald,
Picture o' the great Clanronald!
Brawlie kens our wanton Chief
What gat my young Highland thief.
(Hee Balou!)

Leeze me on thy bonnie craigie!
And thou live, thou'll steal a naigie,
Travel the country thro' and thro' ,
and bring hame a Carlisle cow!

Thro' the Lawlands, o'er the Border,
Weel, my babie, may thou furder!
Herry the louns o' the laigh Countrie,
Syne to the Highlands hame to me!

Text Authorship:

by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796) [author's text not yet checked 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 (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "The Highland Balou", op. 41 no. 2, from A Charm of Lullabies, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Wilhelm Christoph Leonhard Gerhard (1780 - 1858) , "Hochländisches Wiegenlied" ; composed by Heinrich von Sahr, Robert Schumann.

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

CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Ukolébavka"

Researcher for this page: David K. Smythe

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 13
Word count: 76