by
Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
First when Maggy was my care
Language: Scottish (Scots)
Available translation(s): FRE
First when Maggy was my care,
Heaven, I thought, was in her air;
Now we're married, spier nae mair,
[Whistle]1 o'er the lave o't.
Meg was meek, and Meg was mild,
[Sweet and harmless as a child;]2
Wiser men than me's beguile'd,
[Whistle]3 o'er the lave o't.
How we live, my Meg and me,
How we [love and how we 'gree]4
I care na by how few may see,
Whistle o'er the lave o't.
Wha I wish were maggots' meat,
Dish'd up in her winding-sheet;
I could write, -- but Meg maun see't,
Whistle o'er the lave o't.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Haydn: "But whistle"
2 in some editions of Burns: "Bonnie Meg was nature's child"
3 Haydn: "So whistle"
4 Haydn: "love, and how agree;"
Glossary
Spear = ask, enquire
Lave = rest, remainder
I care na by = I am indifferent
Maun = must
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, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , title 1: "Sifflez sur ce qu'il en reste", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2009-07-15
Line count: 16
Word count: 97
Sifflez sur ce qu'il en reste
Language: French (Français)  after the Scottish (Scots)
Au début, quand Maggy me tenait à cœur,
Je pensais qu'il y avait du ciel dans son air ;
Maintenant nous sommes mariés, n'en demandez pas plus,
Mais sifflez sur ce qu'il en reste !
Meg était docile et Meg était tendre,
[Douce et innocente somme un enfant]1 :
Elle a trompé plus avisé que moi,
[Sifflez]2 sur ce qu'il en reste !
Comment nous vivons, ma Meg et moi,
Comment nous nous aimons et comment nous nous entendons,
Peu m'importe combien peu peuvent le voir,
Sifflez sur ce qu'il en reste !
Qui j'aimerais voir être la viande pleine d'asticots
Présentée dans son linceul,
Je pourrais l'écrire (mais Meg ne doit pas le voir),
Sifflez sur ce qu'il en reste !
View original text (without footnotes)
1 dans certaines editions de Burns: "La belle Meg avait la nature d'un enfant"
2 Haydn : "Alors sifflez"
Authorship:
- Translation from Scottish (Scots) to French (Français) copyright © 2014 by Pierre Mathé, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "First when Maggy was my care"
This text was added to the website: 2014-11-10
Line count: 16
Word count: 122