It is na, Jean, thy bonnie face,
  Nor shape that I admire,
Altho' thy beauty and thy grace
  Might weel awauk desire. -
Something in ilka part o' thee
  To praise, to love, I find,
But dear as is thy form to me,
  Still dearer is thy mind. -

Nae mair ungen'rous wish I hae,
  Nor stronger in my breast,
Than, if I canna mak thee sae,
  At least to see thee blest.
Content am I, if Heaven shall give
  But happiness to thee:
And as wi' thee I'd wish to live,
  For thee I'd bear to die.

Note: "bonnie" is sometimes spelled "bonie"

Text 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 Maude Valérie White (1855 - 1937), "It is na, Jean, thy bonnie face", published 1887 [ voice or vocal duet with 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 Jakob Feis (1842 - 1900) ; composed by Eduard Lassen.
  • Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
    
• Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Albert Grün (1822 - 1904) , appears in Aus der Verbannung: Gedichte, in Vom Kreidenfer ; composed by Ludwig Liebe.
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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 96