by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
The small birds rejoice in the green...
Language: English
Available translation(s): FRE
Air -- "Captain O'Kean." The small birds rejoice [in]1 the green leaves returning, The murmuring streamlet winds clear thro' the vale; The primroses blow in the dews of the morning, And wild scatter'd cowslips bedeck the green dale: But what can give pleasure, or what can seem fair, When the lingering moments are [numbered by]2 care? No birds sweetly singing, nor flow'rs gaily springing, Can soothe the sad bosom of joyless despair. The deed that I dared, could it merit their malice? A king and a father to place on his throne! His right are these hills, and his right are these valleys, Where [the]3 wild beasts find shelter, tho' I can find none! But 'tis not my suff'rings, thus wretched, forlorn, My brave gallant friends, 'tis your ruin I mourn; Your faith proved so loyal in hot bloody trial, -- Alas! [I can]4 make it no better return!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Burns, Robert. Poems and Songs. Vol. VI. The Harvard Classics. New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1909–14; Bartleby.com, 2001. www.bartleby.com/6/223.html
1 Haydn: "on"
2 Haydn: "number'd wi' "
3 omitted by Haydn
4 in another version by Burns: "can I" (cf. The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Cambridge edition, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1897, page 318; in this publication the poem has an extra line break in the penultimate line of each stanza.)
Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Song -- The Chevalier's Lament" [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), "Captain Okain", JHW. XXXII/4 no. 290, Hob. XXXIa no. 224bis [text verified 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , title unknown, copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2011-03-06
Line count: 17
Word count: 148