Yon wild mossy mountains

Yon wild mossy mountains sae lofty and wide,
That nurse in their bosom the youth o' the Clyde,
Where the grouse lead their coveys thro' the heather to feed,
And the shepherd tentso his flock as he pipes on his reed.

Not Gowrie's rich valley nor Forth's sunny shores 
To me hae the charms o' yon wild, mossy moors; 
For there, by a lanely, [sequesterèd]1 stream, 
Resides a sweet lassie, my thought and my dream.

Amang thaeo wild mountains shall still be my path.	
Ilko stream foaming down its ain, green. narrow strath;	
For there wi' my lassie the [lang day]2 I rove,
While o'er us unheeded flie the swift hours o' love.

She is not the fairest, altho' she is fair; 
O' nice education but sma' is her share; 
Her parentage humble as humble can be; 
But I lo'eo the dear lassie because she lo'es me.

To Beauty what man but mauno yield him a prize,	
In her armour of glances, and blushes, and sighs?
And when Wit and Refinement hae polish'd her darts,
They dazzle our eeno, as they [flie]3 to our hearts.

But kindness, sweet kindness, in the fond-sparkling e'e
Has lustre outshining the diamond to me, 
And the heart beating love as I'm clasp'd in her arms, 
O, these are my lassie's all-conquering charms!

Glossary: (words marked by ^o) tents: tends ; thae: those; ilk: each; lo'e: love; maun: must ; een: eyes

Authorship

by 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)

by Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882-1961) , "Yon wild mossy mountains", 1898. [tenor and piano]

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.

Search/Shop for

Sheet music:

  Search sheetmusicplus.com for Yon wild mossy mountains, Art song , Lieder, chansons, or works for solo voice
  Search musicroom.com for Yon wild mossy mountains, vocal/choral music

CDs:

  Search amazon.com for Yon wild mossy mountains, art song, Lieder, or chansons
  Search amazon.ca for Yon wild mossy mountains, art song, Lieder, or chansons

Books:

  The Art of the Song Recital [amazon.com]
  The Book of Lieder: The Original Texts of Over 1000 Songs [amazon.com]
  Search amazon.com for art song, Lieder, or chansons
  Search amazon.ca for art song, lieder, or chansons

Classical Vocal Repertoire