by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)

The Tear‑Drop
Language: Scottish (Scots) 
Wae is my heart, and the tear's in my e'e;
Lang, lang has Joy been a stranger to me:
Forsaken and friendless, my burden I bear,
And the sweet voice o' Pity ne'er sounds in my ear.

Love thou hast pleasures, and deep hae I luv'd;
Love, thou hast sorrows, and sair hae I pruv'd;
But this bruised heart that now bleeds in my breast,
I can feel, by its throbbings, will soon be at rest.

Oh, if I were - where happy I hae been -
Down by yon stream, and yon bonnie castle-green;
For there he is wand'ring and musing on me,
Wha wad soon dry the tear-drop that clings to my e'e.

Note: Beethoven uses the second verse of this text between two verses by Anne Grant in the song "In vain to this desert my fate I deplore".

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Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2009-05-23
Line count: 12
Word count: 113