I hear an army charging upon the land

I hear an army charging upon the land,
  And the thunder of horses plunging, foam about their knees:
Arrogant, in black armour, behind them stand,
  Disdaining the reins, with flutt'ring whips, the charioteers.

They cry unto the night their battlename:
  I moan in sleep when I hear afar their whirling laughter.
They cleave the gloom of dreams, a blinding flame,
  Clanging, clanging upon the heart as upon an anvil.

They come shaking in triumph their long, green hair:
  They come out of the sea and run shouting by the shore.
My heart, have you no wisdom thus to despair?
  My love, my love, why have you left me alone?

Translation(s): FRE GER GER

List of language codes

About the headline (FAQ)

Authorship

• by James Joyce (1882 - 1941), no title, appears in Chamber Music, no. 36, first published 1907 [ author's text not yet checked 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 David Arditti (b. 1964), "I hear an army charging upon the land", op. 20 no. 20 (1998) [tenor and string quartet], from Chamber Music, no. 20. [ sung text verified 1 time]
• by Gary Bachlund , "I Hear an Army", 1991, published 1996 [high voice or medium voice and piano], from Chamber Music, no. 9. [ sung text verified 1 time]
• by Samuel Barber (1910 - 1981), "I hear an army", op. 10 (Three Songs) no. 3, published 1939. [voice and piano] [ sung text verified 1 time]
• by Lorne M. Betts (b. 1918), "I hear an army charging upon the land", 1949 [high voice and piano], from Three Songs to Poems of James Joyce [ sung text not verified ]
• by Brian Boydell (1917 - 2000), "I hear an army", 1946 [baritone and piano], from Five Joyce Songs [ sung text not verified ]
• by David Del Tredici (b. 1937), "I hear an army", 1964, published 1974 [soprano and string quartet], New York : Boosey & Hawkes [ sung text verified 1 time]
• by Ross Lee Finney (1906 - 1997), "I hear an army charging upon the land", 1952, published 1985, first performed 1975 [voice and piano], from Chamber Music, no. 36, Henmar Press [ sung text not verified ]
• by (Aynsley) Eugene Goossens, Sir (1893 - 1962), "I hear an army charging upon the land", published 1930 [medium voice and piano], from Chamber Music [ sung text not verified ]
• by Sidney Harrison (b. 1903), "I hear an army", published 1927. [voice and piano] [ sung text not verified ]
• by Derek Healey (b. 1936), "I hear an army charging", 1962 [voice and piano], from Six Irish Songs [ sung text not verified ]
• by Muriel Emily Herbert (1897 - 1984), "I hear an army charging" [voice and piano] [ sung text not verified ]
• by Jack Marius Jarrett (b. 1934), "I hear an army", 1964 [soprano or tenor and piano], from The Unquiet Heart [ sung text not verified ]
• by Alfred Kunz (b. 1929), "I hear an army charging upon the land", published 1966 [satb chorus and piano], from Will you come? [ sung text not verified ]
• by (Kurt) Rudolf Mengelberg (1892 - 1959), "I hear an army charging upon the land", published 1960 [medium voice and piano], from Chamber music, no. 9. [ sung text not verified ]
• by Gardner Read (b. 1913), "I hear an army", op. 45 no. 3 (1985), from Nocturnal Visions, no. 3. [ sung text not verified ]
• by Conrad Susa (b. 1935), "I hear an army charging upon the land", published 1973 [satb chorus and piano], from Chamber Music [ sung text not verified ]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

• Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist FRE by Harald Genzmer.
  • Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
    

Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• GER German (Deutsch) (Walter Riemer) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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Ich höre ein Heer an Land stürmen und...

Ich höre ein Heer an Land stürmen und das
Donnern stampfender Pferde, Schaum an den Knien;
Hochmütig, in schwarzer Rüstung, stehen hinter ihnen,
die Zügel verachtend, mit züngelnden Peitschen, die Wagenlenker.
 
Sie schreien ihren Schlachtennamen in die Nacht hinaus:
Ich stöhne im Schlaf, höre ich von fern ihr brodelndes
Gelächter.Sie zerspalten die Düsternis der Träume mit greller Flamme,
hämmern, hämmern auf das Herz ein wie auf einen Amboss.
 
Sie kommen und schütteln im Triumph ihr langes, grünes Haar:
Sie kommen herauf aus dem Meer und jagen schreiend über den Strand.
Mein Herz, fehlt es dir an Weisheit, dass du so verzweifelst?
Meine Liebste, meine Liebste, warum ließest du mich allein?

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About the headline (FAQ)

Authorship

• Translation from English to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2016 by Walter Riemer, (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.
  
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• a text in English by James Joyce (1882 - 1941), no title, appears in Chamber Music, no. 36, first published 1907 FRE
• This text was set to music by the following composer(s): David Arditti, Gary Bachlund, Samuel Barber, Lorne M. Betts, Brian Boydell, David Del Tredici, Ross Lee Finney, Eugene Goossens, Sir, Sidney Harrison, Derek Healey, Muriel Emily Herbert, Jack Marius Jarrett, Alfred Kunz, Rudolf Mengelberg, Gardner Read, Conrad Susa. Go to the text.

Text added to the website: 2016-10-25 00:00:00.
Last modified: 2016-10-25 09:33:40
Line count: 12
Word count: 110