Robert Burns: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Blithe hae I been on yon Hill

Robert Burns

“Blithe hae I been on yon Hill” as printed in The Poetical Works of Robert Burns (1887).

Robert Burns: Collected Lyrics Text 121 1887 · historical text
Public domainScottish songSong lyrics
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from The Poetical Works of Robert Burns, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

Blithe hae I been on yon hill,

As the lambs before me;

Careless ilka thought and free,

As the breeze flew over me:

Now nae langer sport and play,

Mirth or sang can please me;

Lesley is sae fair and coy,

Care and anguish seize me.

Verse 2

Heavy, heavy is the task,

Hopeless love declaring:

Trembling, I dow nocht but glowr,

Sighing, dumb, despairing!

If she winna ease the thraws

In my bosom swelling,

Underneath the grass-green sod

Soon maun be my dwelling.

Credits

Written by Robert Burns

Words by Robert Burns. Historical text published in The Poetical Works of Robert Burns (1887); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

The Poetical Works of Robert Burns (1887), “Blithe hae I been on yon Hill”

Every text in this 1887 collected edition is by Robert Burns (1759-1796), who died more than 230 years ago, so the text is in the public domain worldwide; the edition carries a Wikisource PD-old determination and a pre-1931 United States publication.

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

View copyright evidence · Transcription terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Retrieved 2026-10-25. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
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