"The Birks of Aberfeldy" is a song lyric written for a pre-existing melody in 1787 by
Robert Burns
Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...
. He was inspired to write it by the
Falls of Moness and the
birch
A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 ...
(the
Scots word for it being ''birks'') trees of
Aberfeldy during a tour of the
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...
with his friend William Nicol.
Today — because of its beauty and its association with the poem — the Birks of Aberfeldy attracts sightseers and walkers from around the UK, Scotland and beyond. The ravine has been fitted with footpaths, bridges and other aides to accessibility. A statue of Robert Burns, composing his famous poem, sits at the entrance to walk.
When visiting on the 24th of November 2022, the statue of Robert Burns seems to have been removed from his seat at the start of the walk.
The Birks of Aberfeldy by Robert Burns
Bony lassie, will ye go,
Will ye go, will ye go;
Bony lassie, will ye go
To the Birks of Aberfeldy.
Now Simmer blinks on flowery braes,
And o'er the crystal streamlets plays;
Come let us spend the lightsome days
In the Birks of Aberfeldy.
The little birdies blithely sing
While o'er their heads the hazels hinge,
Or lightly flit on wanton wing,
In the Birks of Aberfeldy.
The braes ascend like lofty wa's,
The foamy stream deep-roaring fa's,
O'erhung wi' fragrant spreading shaws,
The Birks of Aberfeldy.
The hoary cliffs are crown'd wi' flowers,
White o'er the linns the burnie pours,
And rising, weets wi' misty showers
The Birks of Aberfeldy.
Let Fortune's gifts at random flee,
They ne'er shall draw a wish frae me;
Supremely blest wi' love and thee,
In the Birks of Aberfeldy.
Bony lassie, will ye go,
Will ye go, will ye go;
Bony lassie, will ye go
To the Birks of Aberfeldy
References
Poetry by Robert Burns
Songs with lyrics by Robert Burns
1787 songs
1787 in Scotland
Scottish songs
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