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by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Translation by Josef Václav Sládek (1845 - 1912)

O lovely Polly Stewart
Language: Scottish (Scots) 
Our translations:  FRE
Chorus
    O lovely Polly Stewart,
    O charming Polly Stewart,
There's not a flower that blooms in May,
    That's half so fair as thou art.

The flower it blaws, it fades and fa's,
    And art can ne'er renew it ;
But Worth and Truth eternal Youth
    Will give to Polly Stewart!

May he [whase arms shall fauld thy charms]1
    Possess a leal a true heart !
To him be given to ken the heav'n
    He [grasps]2 in Polly Stewart !

Chorus
    O lovely Polly Stewart,
    O charming Polly Stewart.
There's ne'er a flower that blooms in May
    That's half so sweet as thou art.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   L. Beethoven 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
Confirmed with The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Cambridge edition, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1897, page 259.

1 Beethoven: "who wins thy matchless charm"
2 Beethoven: "gains"

Text Authorship:

  • by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Lovely Polly Stewart" [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 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827), "Polly Stewart", WoO. 156 (12 Scottish Songs) no. 7, G. 227 no. 7, published 1818 [ vocal trio, piano ] [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 Ignaz Brüll.
      • Go to the text.

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

  • CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Polly Stewartova"
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Belle Polly Stewart", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Georg Pertz) , "Polly Stewart"


Research team for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani , Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2006-06-11
Line count: 18
Word count: 102

Polly Stewartova
Language: Czech (Čeština)  after the Scottish (Scots) 
 Ó Polly Stewartova,
      ó malá, hezká Polly,
   tak sličný v máji není květ
      jak ty, — přes hory, doly.

Květ rozkvítá a odkvítá
   a na vždy uschnou stvoly;
však tobě ctnost a upřímnost
   dá věčné mládí, Polly.

Kéž srdce dobré, věrné má,
   kdo za svou kdy tě volí,
a zaplesá, že nebesa
   v tvých loktech našel, Polly.

   Ó Polly Stewartova,
      ó malá, hezká Polly,
   tak sličný v máji není květ
      jak ty, — přes hory, doly.

Confirmed with BURNS, Robert. Výbor z písní a ballad, translated by Josef Václav Sládek, Praha: J. Otto, 1892.


Text Authorship:

  • by Josef Václav Sládek (1845 - 1912), "Polly Stewartova" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Lovely Polly Stewart"
    • Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

    [ None yet in the database ]


Researcher for this page: Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2019-08-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 77

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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