The shooting of his dear
Language: English
O come all you young fellows that carry [a]1 gun,
I'd have you get home by the light of the sun,
For young Jimmy was a fowler and a-fowling alone,
When he shot his own true love in the room of a swan.
Then home went young Jimmy with his dog and his gun,
Saying, "Uncle, dear uncle, have you heard what I've done?
Cursèd be that old gunsmith that made my old [gun,
For I've]2 shot my own true love in the room of a swan."
Then out came bold Uncle with his locks hanging grey,
Saying, "Jimmy, dear Jimmy, don't you go away.
Don't you leave your own country till [the]1 trial come on,
For you never will be hangèd for [the]3 shooting a swan".
So the trial came on and pretty Polly did appear,
Saying, "Uncle, dear uncle, let Jimmy go clear,
For my apron was bound round me and he took me for a swan.
And his poor heart lay bleeding for Polly his own."
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• E. Moeran View original text (without footnotes)
1 Moeran: "your"
2 Moeran: "gun --/ I have"
3 omitted by Moeran
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Disparar a l’estimada", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 173
Disparar a l’estimada
Language: Catalan (Català) after the English
Oh, veniu tots els joves que porteu un fusell,
voldria que tornéssiu a casa a la llum del sol,
car el jove Jimmy era un caçador, un caçador d’ocells,
quan disparà al seu fidel amor a l’estança d’un cigne.
Llavors el jove Jimmy tornà a casa amb el seu gos i el fusell,
dient, “Oncle, estimat oncle, has sentit el que he fet?
Maleït sigui aquell vell armer que va fer el meu vell fusell,
car he disparat al meu fidel amor a l’estança d’un cigne.”
Aleshores aparegué ferreny l’oncle
amb els flocs de cabells grisos,
dient, “Jimmy, estimat Jimmy, no fugis pas.
No deixis el teu país fins que s’hagi fet el judici,
car no et penjaran pas per haver disparat a un cigne.”
Així doncs, tingué lloc el judici i la bella Polly es presentà,
dient, “Oncle, estimat oncle, deixa que Jimmy sigui absolt, car
portava el davantal lligat al meu cos i em prengué per un cigne.
I el seu pobre cor restà sagnant per la seva Polly.”
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Catalan (Català) copyright © 2024 by Salvador Pila, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2024-10-19
Line count: 17
Word count: 171
