The Banks o' Doon (Burns, set by D. Arditti) (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


Ye flowery banks o' bonie Doon, 
  How can ye blume sae fair? 
How can ye chant, ye little birds, 
  And I sae fu' o care! 

Thou'll break my heart, thou bonie bird 
  That sings upon the bough; 
Thou minds me o' the happy days 
  When mv fause Luve was true. 

Thou'll break my heart, thou bonie bird 
  That sings beside thy mate; 
For sae I sat, and sae I sang, 
  And wist na o' my fate. 

Aft hae I roved by bonie Doon 
  To see the woodbine twine, 
And ilka bird sang o' its love; 
  And sae did I o' mine. 

Wi' lightsome heart I pu'd a rose, 
  Frae aff its thorny tree; 
And my fause Luver staw the rose, 
  But left the thorn wi' me.

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)

David Arditti (1964-)

Burns Songs

Set in a modified version by

Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (1867-1944)

Three Songs

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)

Set in a modified version by

Roger Quilter (1877-1953)

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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.