Già il sole dal Gange
Text: Anonymous
Già il sole dal Gange
Più chiaro sfavilla,
E terge ogni stilla
Dell’alba che piange.
Col raggio dorato
Ingemma ogni stelo,
E gli astri del cielo
Dipinge nel prato.
Already, from over the Ganges, the sun
Translation from Italian (Italiano) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust
Already, from over the Ganges, the sun
Sparkles more brightly
And dries every drop
of the dawn, which weeps.
With the gilded ray
It adorns each blade of grass;
And the stars of the sky
It paints in the field.
Vaga luna, che inargenti
Text: Anonymous
Vaga luna, che inargenti
queste rive e questi fiori
ed inspiri agli elementi
il linguaggio dell’amor;
testimonio or sei tu sola
del mio fervido desir,
ed a lei che m’innamora
conta i palpiti e i sospir.
Dille pur che lontananza
il mio duol non può lenir,
che se nutro una speranza,
ella è sol nell’avvenir.
Dille pur che giorno e sera
conto l’ore del dolor,
che una speme lusinghiera
mi conforta nell’amor.
Lovely moon, you who shed silver light
Translation from Italian (Italiano) to English copyright © by Antonio Giuliano
Lovely moon, you who shed silver light
On these shores and on these flowers
And breathe the language
Of love to the elements,
You are now the sole witness
Of my ardent longing,
And can recount my throbs and sighs
To her who fills me with love.
Tell her too that distance
Cannot assuage my grief,
That if I cherish a hope,
It is only for the future.
Tell her that, day and night,
I count the hours of sorrow,
That a flattering hope
Comforts me in my love.
Sonetto XXXVIII
Italian source: Michelangelo Buonarotti
Rendete agli occhi miei, o fonte o fiume,
L’onde della non vostra e salda vena.
Che più v’innalza, e cresce, e con più lena
Che non è ’l vostro natural costume.
E tu, folt’air, che ’l celeste lume
Tempri a’ tristi occhi, de’ sospir miei piena,
Rendigli al cor mio lasso e rasserena
Tua scura faccia al mio visivo acume.
Renda la terra i passi alle mie piante,
Ch’ancor l’erba germogli che gli è tolta;
E ’l suono Ecco, già sorda a’ miei lamenti;
Gli sguardi agli occhi mie, tue luci sante,
Ch’io possa altra bellezza un’altra volta
Amar, po’ che di me non ti contenti.
Sonnet XXXVIII
English translation © Elizabeth Mayer & Peter Pears
Give back to my eyes, you fountains and rivers, the waves of those strong currents that are not yours, which make you swell and grow with greater power than is your natural way.
And thou, heavy air, that dims the heavenly light to my sad eyes, so full of my sighs art thou, give them back to my weary heart and lighten thy dark face to my eye’s keen sight.
Earth, give me back my footsteps that the grass may sprout again where it was trod; and Echo, yet deaf to my laments, give back thy sound; and you blest pupils give back to my eyes their glances;
that I another time may love another beauty, since with me you are not satisfied.
Der Wanderer an den Mond
German source: Johann Gabriel Seidl
Ich auf der Erd’, am Himmel du,
Wir wandern beide rüstig zu:
Ich ernst und trüb, du mild und rein,
Was mag der Unterschied wohl sein?
Ich wandre fremd von Land zu Land,
So heimatlos, so unbekannt;
Bergauf, bergab, Wald ein, Wald aus,
Doch bin ich nirgend, ach! zu Haus.
Du aber wanderst auf und ab
Aus Ostens Wieg’ in Westens Grab,
Wallst Länder ein und Länder aus,
Und bist doch, wo du bist, zu Haus.
Der Himmel, endlos ausgespannt,
Ist dein geliebtes Heimatland:
O glücklich, wer, wohin er geht,
Doch auf der Heimat Boden steht!
The Wanderer Addresses the Moon
English translation © Richard Stokes
I on earth, you in the sky,
We wander, we two, briskly on:
I stern and dark, you mild and clear
I wonder what our difference is?
I wander, a stranger, from land to land
So homeless, so unknown;
Up hill, down dale, into forest and out,
Yet nowhere, alas, am I at home.
But you–you wander up and down,
From eastern cradle to western grave,
Journey, a pilgrim, from land to land
Yet are, wherever you be, at home.
The heavens, infinitely spread,
Are your beloved native land:
Oh happy he, who wherever he goes,
Still stands upon his native soil!
Der blinde Knabe
German Source: Jacob Nicolaus Craigher de Jachelutta
O sagt, ihr Lieben, mir einmal,
Welch Ding ist’s, Licht genannt?
Was sind des Sehens Freuden all’,
Die niemals ich gekannt?
Die Sonne, die so hell ihr seht,
Mir Armen scheint sie nie;
Ihr sagt, sie auf und nieder geht,
Ich weiß nicht wann, noch wie.
Ich mach’ mir selbst so Tag wie Nacht,
Dieweil ich schlaf’ und spiel’,
Mein inn’res Leben schön mir lacht,
Ich hab’ der Freuden viel.
Zwar kenn’ ich nicht, was euch erfreut,
Doch drückt mich keine Schuld,
D’rum freu’ ich mich in meinem Leid,
Und trag’ es mit Geduld.
Ich bin so glücklich, bin so reich
Mit dem, was Gott mir gab,
Bin wie ein König froh, obgleich
Ein armer blinder Knab’.
The blind lad
English translation © Malcom Wren
www.schubertsong.uk
Now tell me once and for all, dear friends,
What thing is that which they call light?
What are all those joys of sight
That I have never known?
The sun which you see so bright
It never shines on poor me;
You say it goes up and down,
I do not know when, or how.
I make my own day, similarly night,
While I sleep and play,
My inner life smiles beautifully upon me,
I have many a joy.
Although I do not know what it is that is giving you joy,
I do not feel that there is anything missing,
Therefore I take pleasure in my suffering
And I bear it with patience.
I am so happy, I am so rich,
With what God has given me,
I am as cheerful as a king, despite being
A poor, blind lad.
Wanderers Nachtlied I
German Source: Johann Wolgang Goethe
Über allen Gipfeln
Ist Ruh,
In allen Wipfeln
Spürest du
Kaum einen Hauch;
Die Vöglein schweigen im Walde.
Warte nur, balde
Ruhest du auch.
Traveller’s night song
English translation © Malcom Wren
www.schubertsong.uk
Over all the hill tops
There is rest,
In all the tree tops
You can feel
Barely a breath;
The little birds have fallen silent in the woods.
Just wait, soon
You too will be at rest.
Ständchen
German source: Adolf Friedrich von Schack
Mach auf, mach auf! doch leise, mein Kind,
Um Keinen vom Schlummer zu wecken!
Kaum murmelt der Bach, kaum zittert im Wind
Ein Blatt an den Büschen und Hecken;
Drum leise, mein Mädchen, daß nichts sich regt,
Nur leise die Hand auf die Klinke gelegt!
Mit Tritten, wie Tritte der Elfen so sacht,
Um über die Blumen zu hüpfen,
Flieg leicht hinaus in die Mondscheinnacht,
Zu mir in den Garten zu schlüpfen!
Rings schlummern die Blüten am rieselnden Bach
Und duften im Schlaf, nur die Liebe ist wach.
Sitz nieder! Hier dämmert’s geheimnisvoll
Unter den Lindenbäumen.
Die Nachtigall uns zu Häupten soll
Von unseren Küssen träumen
Und die Rose, wenn sie am Morgen erwacht.
Serenade
English translation © Richard Stokes
Open up, open up! but softly, my child,
So that no one’s roused from slumber!
The brook hardly murmurs, the breeze hardly moves
A leaf on the bushes and hedges;
Gently, my love, so nothing shall stir,
Gently with your hand as you lift the latch!
With steps as light as the steps of elves,
As they hop their way over flowers,
Flit out into the moonlit night,
Slip out to me in the garden!
The flowers are fragrant in sleep
By the rippling brook, only love is awake.
Sit down! Dusk falls mysteriously here
Beneath the linden trees.
The nightingale above us
Shall dream of our kisses
And the rose, when it wakes at dawn,
Shall glow from our night’s rapture.
КВІТЧАНІ СЛЬОЗИ
Борис Грінченко
Сонечко ясне встає,
Теплим промінням своїм
Гладить квітки та пестить,
Сльози обсушує їм.
Сльози бринять у квіток
Чисті, як перли ясні:
Сон їм негарний приснивсь,
Плакали квіти у сні.
Може їм снилися ми,
Наше життя без надій,
Кров і кайдани й брехня,
Голод і холод тяжкий…
Хто ж би того не злякавсь?
Після тих снищів страшних,
Досі вони ще тремтять,
Досі ще сльози у них…
Blooms and Tears
Ukrainian Source: Boris Hrinchenko
The bright sun rises,
With its warm rays
It caresses the flowers
And dries their tears.
The tears jingle on the flowers,
Pure and bright as pearls.
An awful dream caused
The flowers to cry in the night.
Perhaps they dreamt of us,
Our life without hope,
The blood, the shackles, and the lies,
Our hunger, misery, and cold.
Who indeed would not be frightened
Of such terrible nightmares!?
But still the flowers tremble
And their petals shed tears.
Скоро сонце засміється
Олександер Олесь
Скоро сонце засміється,
Зацвіте уся земля,
Та у парі із тобою
Не піду вже більше я.
А один, як привид темний,
Я блукатиму весь день,
Не любуючись квітками
І не чуючи пісень.
Я проходитиму луки,
Я минатиму красу…
І одну розпуку в серці
На край світу понесу.
Soon the Sun Will Laugh
Ukrainian Source: Oleksander Oles
Translation: Bohdan Parashchak
Soon the sun will laugh,
The whole earth will bloom,
And together with you
I will no longer be
But alone, like a dark ghost,
I will wander all day long,
Not seeing the flowers,
Not hearing the songs.
I will pass by the groves,
I will pass beauty by…
And carry despair in my heart
To the ends of the earth.
Чи тямиш ще?
Володимир Старосольський
Чи тямиш ще?
Був вітер тихий,
В задуму тужну ліс обвився,
А квіти плакали росою.
В чарівний райський вечір
Тихий чарівний
Майський сон схилився
Над мною і тобою.
Чи тямиш?
Чудотворні мрії
Водив по світі місяць білий,
Йшла казка тихою ходою.
Вставали чудотворні мрії
І ясні зорі мерехтіли
Над мною і тобою.
Чи тямиш ще?
Туга безкрая
Землю весною убирала,
Тихою плакала сльозою.
У чарів час любов святая,
Святії руки простягала
Над мною і тобою.
A Memory
Volodymyr Starosolsky
Translation: Uliana Pasicznyk and
Maxim Tarnawsky
Do you still discern?
It was a quiet evening,
The forest clad in pensive sorrow
And flowers shedding tears of dew.
In the magical perfect evening
Quiet and mysterious
A May dream bent down
Above you and me.
Do you still discern?
The rising white moon led
Miraculous dreams round the world.
A fairy tale walked on the path.
Miraculous dreams were rising,
And the bright stars shimmered
Above you and me.
Do you still discern?
Boundless longing
Dressed the earth in springtime
And cried with silent tears.
In a magical time sacred love
Stretched her saintly hands
Above you and me.
The Water Mill
English source: Fredegond Shove
There is a mill, an ancient one
Brown with rain, and dry with sun
The miller’s house is joined with it
And in July the swallows flit
To and fro, in and out
Round the windows, all about;
The mill wheel whirrs and the waters roar
Out of the dark arch by the door
The willows toss their silver heads
And the phloxes in the garden beds
Turn red, turn grey
With the time of day
And smell sweet in the rain, then die away
The miller’s cat is a tabby, she
Is as lean as a healthy cat can be
She plays in the loft where the sunbeams stroke
The sacks’ fat backs, and beetles choke
In the floury dust. The Wheel goes round
And the miller’s wife sleeps fast and sound
There is a clock inside the house
Very tall and very bright
It strikes the hour when shadows drowse
Or showers make the windows white;
Loud and sweet, in rain and sun
The clock strikes, and the work is done
The miller’s wife and his eldest girl
Clean and cook, while the mill wheels whirl
The children take their meat to school
And at dusk they play by the twilit pool;
Bare-foot, bare-head
Till the day is dead
And their mother calls them in to bed
Boyhood’s End
English source: William Henry Hudson
What, then, did I want?
What did I ask to have?
If the question had been put to me then,
and if I had been capable of expressing what was in me,
I should have replied:
I want only to keep what I have.
To rise each morning and look out on the sky and the grassy dew-wet Earth,
from day to day, from year to year.
To watch each June and July for spring,
to feel the same old sweet surprise
and delight at th’ appearance of each familiar flower,
ev’ry new-born insect,
ev’ry bird returned once more from the north.
To listen in a trance of delight to the wild notes of the golden plover
coming once more to the great plain,
flying south, flock succeeding flock the whole day long.
Oh, those wild beautiful cries of the golden plover!
I could exclaim with Hafiz with but one word changed:
If after a thousand years that sound should float o’er my tomb,
my bones uprising in their gladness would dance in the sepulchre.
To climb trees
and put my hand down in the deep hot nest of the Bienteveo
and feel the hot eggs, the five long-pointed cream-coloured eggs,
with choc’late spots and splashes at the larger end.
To lie on a grassy bank,
with the blue water between me and beds of tall bulrushes,
list’ning to the mysterious sounds of the wind
and of hidden rails and coots and courlans conversing
together in strange human-like tones:
to let my sight dwell and feast on the camaloté flower
amid its floating masses of moist vivid green leaves,
the large alamanda-like flower of a purest divine yellow that,
when plucked, leaves you with nothing but a green stem in your hand.
To ride at noon on the hottest days
when the whole Earth is a-glitter with illusory water
and see the cattle and horses in thousands
cov’ring the plain at their watering places,
to visit some haunt of large birds at that still, hot hour
and see storks, ibises, grey herons, egrets of a dazzling whiteness
and rose-coloured spoon-bills
and flamingos standing in the shallow water
in which their motionless forms are reflected.
To lie on my back on the rust-brown grass in January,
to gaze up at the white-hot whitey-blue sky,
peopled with millions and myriads of glist’ning balls of thistledown,
ever floating by.
To gaze and gaze, until they are to me living things,
and I, in an ecstasy am with them,
floating in that immense shining void!
Across the Universe
Lyrics and Melody © 1968 John Lennon
Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup,
They slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my open mind,
Possessing and caressing me.
Jai guru deva
Nothing’s gonna change my world.
Nothing’s gonna change my world.
Nothing’s gonna change my world.
Nothing’s gonna change my world.
Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes,
They call me on and on across the universe,
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letterbox they
Tumble blindly as they make their way
Across the universe
Jai guru deva
Nothing’s gonna change my world.
Nothing’s gonna change my world.
Nothing’s gonna change my world.
Nothing’s gonna change my world.
Sounds of laughter shades of life are ringing
Through my open ears inciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a
Million suns, and calls me on and on
Across the universe
Jai guru deva
Nothing’s gonna change my world.
Nothing’s gonna change my world.
Nothing’s gonna change my world.
Nothing’s gonna change my world.
About Here
Source: Erollyn Wallen
I sit upon the hillside
Among the redwood trees
I ask for nothing special
But a glimpse of the moon
In the sun
A rare moon
Just grateful for the air out here
And a view of heaven
And a view of heaven
I sit upon the hill
I sit upon this hilltop
I hear coyotes cry
The life behind me pales
Somehow up here
Soon I know
There’ll be a
A full moon
A new moon
Up, up here
I sit upon the hillside
Among the redwood trees
Among the scattered stars
I see a full moon
A blue moon
Up here
Such a view of heaven
Of heaven.