The Banks of the Dee (Langolee) (Joseph Haydn)

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• (Posted 2022-03-06)  CPDL #68261: 

Editor: Christopher Shaw (submitted 2022-03-06).   Score information: A4, 2 pages, 112 kB   Copyright: CC BY SA

Edition notes: Please click on the link for preview/playback/PDF download.

General Information

Title: The Banks of the Dee (Langolee)
Composer: Joseph Haydn
Lyricist: John Tait
Number of voices: 1v   Voicing: solo high
Genre: Secular, Folksong

Language: English
Instruments: Keyboard

First published: 1805
Description: Hob.XXXIa.235. An arrangement commissioned and published by Edinburgh publisher G. Thompson under the tune's original name of Langolee; the text "written by John Tait, Esq. and retouched by him for this work". The original song was coined in 1775.

Original text and translations

English text

'Twas summer and softly the breezes were blowing,
And sweetly the wood-pigeon coo'd from the tree.
At the foot of a rock where the wild rose was growing,
I sat myself down by the banks of the Dee.
Flow on lovely Dee, flow on thou sweet river,
Thy banks' purest stream shall be dear to me ever,
For there I first gained th'affection and favour
Of Jamie, the glory and pride of the Dee.

But now he's gone from me and left me thus mourning,
To quell the proud rebels, for valiant is he.
And ah! there's no hope of his speedy returning,
To wander again on the banks of the Dee.
He's gone, hapless youth, o'er the rude roaring billows,
The sweetest and kindest of all the gay fellows,
And left me to wander 'mongst those once lov'd willows,
The loneliest maid on the banks of the Dee.

But time and my pray'rs may perhaps yet restore him,
Blest peace may restore my dear Jamie to me:
And when he returns, with such care I'll watch o'er him
He never shall leave the sweet banks of the Dee.
The Dee then shall flow, all its beauties displaying;
The lambs on its banks shall again be seen playing;
Whilst I with my Jamie am carelessly straying,
And tasting again all the sweets of the Dee.