Musing on the roaring ocean, Which divides my love and me, [Wearying]1 heaven in warm devotion For his weal where'er he be: Hope and Fear's alternate billow Yielding late to Nature's law, [Whispering]2 spirits round my pillow, Talk of him that 's far awa. Ye whom sorrow never wounded, Ye who never shed a tear, Care-untroubled, joy-surrounded, Gaudy day to you is dear. Gentle night, do thou befriend me! Downy sleep, the curtain draw! Spirits kind, again attend me, Talk of him that 's far awa!
Confirmed with The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Cambridge edition, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1897, page 211.
1 Bennett: "Wearing" (typo?)2 Bennett: "Whisp'ring"
Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Musing on the Roaring Ocean" [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827), "Musing on the roaring ocean", WoO. 152 (25 irische Lieder) no. 13, G. 223 no. 13 (1810/3) [ voice, violin, violoncello, piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by William Sterndale Bennett (1816 - 1875), "Musing on the roaring ocean", op. 23 (Sechs Gesänge für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1842 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kistner, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Francis George Scott (1880 - 1958), "Musing on the roaring ocean", 1950 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Wilhelm Christoph Leonhard Gerhard (1780 - 1858) , "Sehnsucht am Strande" ; composed by Carl August Krebs, Clara Schumann, née Wieck.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Adolf Wilhelm Ernst von Winterfeld (1824 - 1888) , "Sinnend am bewegten Meere", first published 1860 ; composed by Siegmund von Hausegger.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Wilhelm Christoph Leonhard Gerhard (1780 - 1858) ; composed by William Sterndale Bennett.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Sníc u moře bouřlivého"
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Songeant à l'océan mugissant", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Georg Pertz) , "Am Strande"
Researcher for this page: Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-02
Line count: 16
Word count: 86
Starrend in Meeres Gähnen, Das den Liebling von mir trennt, Hauch' um ihn ich all mein Sehnen Im Gebet zum Firmament. Nur an Schlummers weicher Schwelle Wiegen Geister ein mein Lied, Furcht und Hoffnungs Wechselwelle Spricht von ihm, der weit, so weit! Die euch Kummer nie gedrücket Jeder Tag euch, der erscheint. Glücklich Völkchen, hoch entzücket Jeder Tag euch, der erscheint. Sanfte Nacht, lös meine Glieder, Schlaf, den Vorhang halt bereit, Holde Geister, naht euch wieder, Sprecht von him, der weit, so weit!
Authorship:
- Singable translation by Georg Pertz (1830 - 1870), "Am Strande" [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Musing on the Roaring Ocean"
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2004-12-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 83