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by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)

By Oughtertyre grows the aik
Language: Scottish (Scots) 
By Oughtertyre grows the aik,
  On Yarrow banks the birken shaw;
But Phemie was a bonier lass
  Than braes o' Yarrow ever saw.
        Blythe, blythe and merry was she,
          Blythe was she but and ben;
        Blythe by the banks of Earn,
          And blythe in Glenturit glen.
 
Her looks were like a flow'r in May,
  Her smile was like a simmer morn:
She tripped by the banks o' Earn,
  As light's a bird upon a thorn.
        Blythe, blythe, &c.
 
Her bonie face it was as meek
  As ony lamb upon a lea;
The evening sun was ne'er sae sweet,
  As was the blink o' Phemie's e'e.
        Blythe, blythe, &c.
 
The Highland hills I've wander'd wide,
  And o'er the Lawlands I hae been;
But Phemie was the blythest lass
  That ever trod the dewy green.
        Blythe, blythe, &c.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Song -- Blythe was she" [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 Cyril Meir Scott (1879 - 1970), "Blythe and merry was she", published 1922 [ voice and piano ], London: Elkin [sung text not yet checked]

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

  • CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Tak sličná byla"


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2010-05-02
Line count: 23
Word count: 136

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