In vain to this desert my fate I deplore,
For dark is the wildwood, and bleak is the shore;
The rude blasts I hear, and the white waves I see,
But nought that  gives shelter or confort to me.

O love! Thou hast pleasures, and deep have I lov'd,
I love! Thou hast sorrows, and sore Have I prov'd:
But this bruised heart that now bleeds in my breast,
I can feel, by its throbbing, will soon be at rest.

When clos'd are those eyes, that but open to weep,
With my woes and my wrongs I shall peacefully sleep;
But the thorn my inkindness first plac'd in my heart,
Transplanted to thine, shall new anguish impart.

Note: the second verse is by Burns, from The Tear-Drop.

Text Authorship:

• by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "In vain to this desert my fate I deplore" [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Anne Grant (1755 - 1838), "In vain to this desert my fate I deplore" [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 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827), "In vain to this desert my fate I deplore", WoO. 152 (25 irische Lieder) no. 17, G. 223 no. 17 (1810/3) [ vocal duet with violin, violoncello, piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Je déplore en vain mon destin dans ce désert", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Georg Pertz) , "Vergebens beklag' ich mein trübes Geschick"

Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani

This text was added to the website: 2004-12-11
Line count: 12
Word count: 117