| Music File Barry Taylor |
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| The poem was presented by Robert Burns to Mrs. General Stewart of Slair in 1791 and appeared in the Scots Musical Museum in 1792. It was inspired by her home Afton Lodge in Ayeshire on the banks of the Afton River. The Mary probably refers to Mary Campbell, whom Burns courted in 1786, the year the song was written.
One source credits the music is by Alexander Hume. But according to Wikipedia, the Robert Burns words were sent to this music by Jonathan Spilman in 1837 when h was at Transylvania Law School. The Christmas carol, Away in in a Manager is often sung to this tune. For a full list of Burns tunes at this site, search for Robert Burns in the search engine. |
Flow gently, sweet Afton, amang thy green braes, Flow gently, I'll sing thee a song in thy praise; My Mary's asleep by thy murmuring stream, Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dream. Thou stock dove whose echo resounds thro' the glen, Ye wild whistly blackbirds in yon thorny den, Thou green crested lapwing thy screaming forbear, I charge you, disturb not my slumbering fair. How lofty, sweet Afton, thy neighboring hills, Far mark'd with the courses of clear winding rills; There daily I wander as noon rises high, My flocks and my Mary's sweet cot in my eye. How pleasant thy banks and green valleys below, Where, wild in the woodlands, the primroses blow; There oft, as mild evening weeps over the lea, The sweet-scented birk shades my Mary and me. Thy crystal stream, Afton, how lovely it glides, And winds by the cot where my Mary resides; How wanton thy waters her snowy feet lave, As, gathering sweet flowerets, she stems thy clear wave. Flow gently, sweet Afton, amang thy green braes, Flow gently, sweet river, the theme of my lays; My Mary's asleep by thy murmuring stream, Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dreams. |
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| Information From The Fireside Book of Folk Songs Lyrics From Folk Songs of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales See Bibliography for full information. |
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