The gard'ner wi' his paidle | When rosy May comes in wi' flowers

by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)

The gard'ner wi' his paidle

Language: Scottish (Scots)

Our translations: FRE

When rosy May comes in wi' flowers,
To deck her gay, green-spreading bowers,
Then busy, busy are his hours,
       The Gard'ner wi' his paidle.
 
The crystal waters gently fa',
The merry bards are lovers a',
The scented breezes round him blaw —
       The Gard'ner wi' his paidle.
 
When purple morning starts the hare
To steal upon her early fare,
Then thro' the dews he maun repair —
       The Gard'ner wi' his paidle.
 
When day, expiring in the west,
The curtain draws o' Nature's rest,
He flies to her arms he lo'es the best,
       The Gard'ner wi' his paidle.

Tune: "The Gardener's March"

Confirmed with The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Cambridge edition, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1897, page 218.

Text Authorship:

by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "The gard'ner wi' his paidle" [author's text checked 2 times 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 gard'ner wi' his paidle", JHW. XXXII/1 no. 45, Hob. XXXIa no. 45 [ sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Adolf Wilhelm Ernst von Winterfeld (1824 - 1888) , "Wenn ros'ger Mai mit Blumen naht", written 1789 FRE ; composed by Richard Kleinmichel.

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

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-09-26
Line count: 16
Word count: 98