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by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)

Highland Mary
Language: Scottish (Scots) 
Ye banks and braes and streams around 
  The castle o' Montgomery, 
Green be your woods, and falr your flowers, 
  Your waters never drumlie! 
There simmer first unfauld her robes, 
  And there the langest tarry; 
For there I took the last fareweel 
  O' my sweet Highland Mary. 

How sweetly bloom'd the gay green birk, 
  How rich the hawthorn's blossom, 
As underneath their fragrant shade 
  I clasp'd her to my bosom! 
The golden hours on angel wings 
  Flew o'er me and my dearie; 
For dear to me as light and life 
  Was my sweet Highland Mary. 

Wi' mony a vow and lock'd embrace 
  Our parting was fu' tender; 
And pledging aft to meet again, 
  We tore oursels asunder; 
But, oh I fell Death's untimely frost, 
  That nipt my flower sae early! 
Now green's the sod, and cauld's the clay! 
  That wraps my Highland Mary! 

O pale, pale now, those rosy lips 
  I aft hae kiss'd sae fondly! 
And closed for ay the sparkling glance 
  That dwelt on me sae kindly; 
And mouldering now in silent dust 
  That heart that lo'ed me dearly! 
But still within my bosom's core 
  Shall live my Highland Mary.

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 David Arditti (b. 1964), "Highland Mary", op. 1 no. 7, first performed 1994, from Burns Songs, no. 7 [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Ernst Paul Flügel.
      • Go to the text.
  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Wilhelm Sturm.
      • Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]

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

  • CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Marie z hor"
  • POL Polish (Polski) (Jan Kasprowicz) , "Maryja z gór", Warsaw, first published 1907


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 191

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