A drop fell on the apple tree

A drop fell on the apple tree.
Another on the roof;
A half a dozen kissed the eaves,
And made the gables laugh.

A few went out to help the brook,
That went to help the sea.
Myself conjectured, Were they pearls,
What necklaces could be!

The dust replaced in hoisted roads,
The birds jocoser sung;
The sunshine threw his hat away,
The orchard spangles hung.

The breezes brought dejected lutes,
And bathed them in the glee;
The East put out a single flag,
And signed the fête away.

Translation(s): FRE GER

List of language codes

About the headline (FAQ)

Authorship

• by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Poems of Emily Dickinson, first published 1890 [ 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 Ernst Bacon (1898 - 1990), "A drop fell on the apple tree", published 1947 [soprano, SSAA chorus, and piano or orchestra], cantata [ sung text not verified ]
• by Ernst Bacon (1898 - 1990), "A drop fell on the apple tree", published 1944, stanzas 1-2 [voice and piano], from Songs from Emily Dickinson: Nature Time and Space - Volume 1 [ sung text verified 1 time]
• by Clarence Dickinson (1873 - 1969), "Summer shower", published 1897 [voice and piano], from Six Songs [ sung text not verified ]
• by Arthur Farwell (1872 - 1952), "Summer shower", op. 73 no. 1, published 1928, from Three Dickinson Poems, no. 1. [ sung text not verified ]
• by Richard Layton Kent (b. 1916), "A drop fell on the apple tree", published 1971 [SSA chorus or TTBB chorus a cappella], from Spring Songs [ sung text not verified ]

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

• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project, and I have been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your gift is greatly appreciated.      - Emily Ezust

Une goutte tomba sur le Pommier

Une goutte tomba sur le Pommier --
Une autre -- sur le Toit --
Une Demi-Douzaine donnèrent des baisers à l'avant-toit --
Et firent rire les Pignons--

Certaines allèrent aider le Ruisseau
Qui alla aider la Mer --
Moi-même je me demandais si c'étaient des Perles --
Quels Colliers ce pourrait être --

La Poussière retomba -- Soulevée sur les Routes --
Les Oiseaux chantèrent plus joyeusement --
Le Soleil jeta son Chapeau au loin --
Les Buissons -- lancèrent des paillettes --

Les Brises apportèrent des Luths abattus --
Et les baignèrent dans l'Allégresse --
Puis l'Orient montra un seul Drapeau --
Et donna le signal de la fin de la Fête --

IMPORTANT NOTE: The material directly above is protected by copyright and appears here by special permission. If you wish to copy it and distribute it, you must obtain permission or you will be breaking the law. Once you have permission, you must give credit to the author and display the copyright symbol ©. Copyright infringement is a criminal offense under international law.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translations of title(s):
"Summer shower" = "Averse d'été"
"A drop fell on the apple tree" = "Une goutte tomba sur le Pommier"

Authorship

• Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2017 by Guy Laffaille, (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 at lieder dot net)
  
  
  

• a text in English by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Poems of Emily Dickinson, first published 1890 GER
• This text was set to music by the following composer(s): Ernst Bacon, Clarence Dickinson, Arthur Farwell, Richard Layton Kent. Go to the text.

Text added to the website: 2017-01-03.
Last modified: 2017-02-16 14:15:08
Line count: 16
Word count: 97