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Bring me the sunset in a cup -- Reckon the morning's flagons up And say how many Dew -- Tell me how far the morning leaps -- Tell me what time the weaver sleeps Who spun the breadth of blue! Write me how many notes there be In the new Robin's extasy [sic]1 Among astonished boughs -- How many trips the Tortoise makes -- How many cups the Bee partakes, The Debauchee of Dews! Also, Who laid the Rainbow's piers, Also, Who leads the docile spheres By withes of supple blue? Whose fingers string the stalactite -- Who counts the wampum of the night To see that none is due? Who built this little Alban House And shut the windows down so close My spirit cannot see? Who'll let me out some gala day With implements to fly away, Passing Pomposity?
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with The Poems of Emily Dickinson, ed. R.W. Franklin, Volume 1, Cambridge, MA and London, England: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1998, Poem 140 (Version B).
1 Philips: “ecstasy”
Authorship:
- by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title [author's text checked 1 time 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 Scott Gendel (b. 1977), "Bring me the sunset", 2005 [ voice and piano ], from Forgotten Light, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Nick Peros (b. 1963), "Bring me the sunset in a cup" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Julian Philips (b. 1969), "Foreword", 1997/2002, published 2007 [ high voice and piano ], from An Amherst Bestiary, no. 2, Peters Edition [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 135
Bringe mir den Sonnenuntergang in einem Becher -- Zähle die Kannen des Morgens auf Und sage, wie viele Tautropfen [fielen] -- Sage mir, wie weit der Morgen springt -- Sage mir, wann der Weber schläft, Der die blaue Weite ausgesponnen hat! Schreibe mir auf, wie viele Noten Es in der neuen Entzückung der [Amsel]1 In den staunenden Zweigen gibt -- Wie viele Reisen die Schildkröte macht -- Wie viele Becher die Biene zu sich nimmt, Die Schlemmerin des Taus! Auch wer die Pfeiler des Regenbogens steckte, Auch wer die gefügigen Sphären An biegsamen blauenWeidenbändern hinleitet? Wessen Finger die Deckenzapfen aufreiht -- Wer die Zaster der Nacht zählt, Um festzustellen ob nichts fehlt? Wer hat dies kleine weiße Haus gebaut Und die Fenster so dicht verschlossen, Daß mein Geist nichts sehen kann? Wer wird mich eines Galatages freilassen, Zum Fortfliegen ausgerüstet, Weit über allen Prunk hinweg?
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Translation of the title of the song by Philips: "Vorwort"
1 “Rotkehlchen” wäre zwar richtig für “Robin”, wenn es sich hier um einen „English Robin“ (Erithacus rubecula) handeln würde. Emily Dickinson war aber Amerikanerin, und sie hatte den „American Robin“ (Turdus migratorius) im Sinn. Dieser Vogel ist eher mit einer Amsel (Turdus merula) verwandt. Beide haben die gleiche Größe und einen ähnlichen Gesang, nur dass der amerikanische Robin eine rote Brust hat.
Authorship:
- Translation from English to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2014 by Sharon Krebs, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title
This text was added to the website: 2014-08-28
Line count: 24
Word count: 139