by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Translation by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876)
When o'er the hill the eastern star
Language: Scottish (Scots)
Our translations: FRE
When o'er the hill the eastern star Tells bughtin-time is near, my jo, And owsen frae the furrowed field Return sae dowf and weary O: Down by the burn where scented birks Wi' dew are hanging clear, my jo, I'll meet thee on the lea-rig, My ain kind Dearie O. At midnight hour, in mirkest glen, I'd rove and ne'er be irie O, If thro' that glen I gaed to thee, My ain kind Dearie O: Altho' the night were ne'er sae [wet]1, And I were n'er sae weary O, [I'd]2 meet thee on the lea-rig, My ain kind Dearie O. The hunter lo'es the morning sun, To rouse the mountain deer, my jo, At noon the fisher takes the glen, Adown the burn to steer, my jo; Gie me the hour o' gloamin grey, It maks my heart sae cheary O To meet thee on the lea-rig, My ain kind Dearie O.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)bughtin-time = the time of milking the ewes;
jo = sweetheart;
dowf = lethargic;
birks = birch trees;
lea-rig = grassy ridge, unploughed land;
irie = frightened;
gloamin = twilight
1 in some editions: "wild"
2 in some editions: "I'll"
Text Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "The lea-rig" [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), "The lea-rig", Hob. XXXIa:31bis, JHW XXXII/3 no. 152 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Maude Valérie White (1855 - 1937), "My ain kind dearie O", published 1879 [ voice and piano ], London: Stanley Lucas, Weber & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876) ; composed by Eusebius Mandyczewski.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Joseph (Gabriel) Rheinberger (1839 - 1901) [an adaptation] ; composed by Joseph Rheinberger.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Ty, moje potěšení"
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) ((Johann) Philipp Kaufmann) , no title [an adaptation]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 156
Lied
Language: German (Deutsch) after the Scottish (Scots)
Wenn überm Berg den Abendstern Die Melkerin sieht schweben, O! Wenn aus der Furche schwankt das Roß, Der Heimat zuzustreben, O! Am Bache dort, wo taubenetzt Duftreiche Birken beben, O! Da treff' ich dich am Hügel, Mein Lieb, mein Leben, O! In dunkler Schlucht, um Mitternacht, Hinzog' ich ohne Beben, O! Umarmt' ich dich am Ziele nur, Mein Lieb, mein Leben, O! Und wär' die Nacht auch noch so wild, Doch würd' ich vorwärts streben, O! Doch träf' ich dich am Hügel, Mein Lieb, mein Leben, O! Der Jäger liebt die Morgenzeit, Der Jagd sich zu ergeben, O! Der Fischer wählt den Mittag gern, Sein maschig Netz zu weben, O! Mir kann die graue Dämm'rung nur Das Herze freudig heben, O! Dann treff' ich dich am Hügel, Mein Lieb, mein Leben, O!
Text Authorship:
Based on:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "The lea-rig"
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Eusebius Mandyczewski (1857 - 1929), "Lied", op. 8 (Lieder und Gesänge für gemischten Chor) no. 3, published 1885 [ mixed chorus ], Wien, Rebay & Robitschek ; note: may be the wrong text for this setting (could be the other translation with the same incipit) [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-01-03
Line count: 24
Word count: 132