Glen Collection of printed music > Printed music > Characteristic songs and dances of all nations

28
The Boatman.
"I climb the mountains.'
"fcebrf&ean Song.
Gaelic original anonymous.
mf Motto andante.
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Tune—" Fear a Bhata.'
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I climb the moun - tains and scan the o - cean For thee, my boat - man, with
Bro • ken heart - ed I droop and Ian - guish, And f re - quent tears show my
From passing boat - man I'd fain dis - cov - er If they have heard of or
» — -^ s
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I
fond de -
bo - som's
seen my
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con. Fed.'
1. vo - tion, When shall I see thee ? today? to - mor - row? O do not
2. an - guish; Shall I ex - pect thee to-night to cheer me? Or close the
3. lov • er; They nev - er tell me — I'mon-ly chid - ed, And told my
m^
leave me in lone - ly
door, sighing, sad, and
heart has been sore mis
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Chorus.
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row. ~»
rv? V- Fear a bha
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ta, na ho - ro ei - la, Fear a bha - ta, na ho - ro
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ei la, Fear a bha, - ta, na ho - ro ei - la, Happy be thou w here'er thou sai l ■ est.
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4. I may not hide it — my heart's devotion
Is not a season's brief emotion ;
Thy love in childhood began to seize me,
And ne'er shall fade until death release me. — Chorus.
5. My heart is weary with ceaseless wailing,
Like wounded swan when her strength is failing,
Her notes of anguish the lake awaken,
By all her comrades at last forsaken. — Chorus.
The words of this very popular West Highland song are anonymous, and probably date from last century. The translation of the part
of the song selected is by Mr. Lachlan MacBean, by whose permission we have taken it from Songs of the Gael, a new edition of
which is being issued by a fii-m iu Stirling, N.B. There are many versions of this beautiful tune, which is one of the beet known and
most sung in the Highlands. It is undoubtedly a very old tune, but no doubt it has been considerably modernised, as the older version*
are quite different.