Address To The Toothache (Burns) (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


    My curse upon your venom'd stang,
    That shoots my tortur'd gums alang,
    An' thro' my lug gies mony a twang,
    Wi' gnawing vengeance,
    Tearing my nerves wi' bitter pang,
    Like racking engines!

    When fevers burn, or argues freezes,
    Rheumatics gnaw, or colics squeezes,
    Our neibor's sympathy can ease us,
    Wi' pitying moan;
    But thee-thou hell o' a' diseases-
    Aye mocks our groan.

    Adown my beard the slavers trickle
    I throw the wee stools o'er the mickle,
    While round the fire the giglets keckle,
    To see me loup,
    While, raving mad, I wish a heckle
    Were in their doup!

    In a' the numerous human dools,
    Ill hairsts, daft bargains, cutty stools,
    Or worthy frien's rak'd i' the mools, -
    Sad sight to see!
    The tricks o' knaves, or fash o'fools,
    Thou bear'st the gree!

    Where'er that place be priests ca' hell,
    Where a' the tones o' misery yell,
    An' ranked plagues their numbers tell,
    In dreadfu' raw,
    Thou, Toothache, surely bear'st the bell,
    Amang them a'!

    O thou grim, mischief-making chiel,
    That gars the notes o' discord squeel,
    Till daft mankind aft dance a reel
    In gore, a shoe-thick,
    Gie a' the faes o' Scotland's weal
    A townmond's toothache!

Authorship

Robert Burns (1759-1796)

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

[ None yet in the database ]

Set in German, a translation of Wilhelm Gerhard GER

Robert Alexander Schumann (1810-1856)

Fünf Lieder nach Robert Burns für gemischten Chor

Date added to the website: 2004-06-29.

Gentle Reminder

This project is not funded. If you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your gift is greatly appreciated!
- Emily

I also have a wishlist at Amazon.ca.