by William Smyth (1765 - 1849)
When Mortals all to rest retire
Language: English
When mortals all to rest retire, o Moon! Thou hear'st my whisp'ring lyre: to thee I wake the mpurnful lay; for sure thou lookst as if thy ray would confort, if it could, convey, and happier songs inspire. And I will happier be; my heart, though late, shall wisdom learn, from love's delusions free: my siprit shall in dignant burn, and I with maiden pride will spurn his strange inconstancy. Roll on ye hours! And back restore the peaceful thoughts I knew before, when smil'd the arts, when charm'd the muse, when morn for me had beauteous hues, and evening could her calm diffuse my ardent bosom o'er. But Love! Thou fiend of pain! I feel the tears of anguish start how hard my peace to gain! O fiend and tyrant as thou art! That wring'st from my unwilling heart the sighs that I disdain.
Text Authorship:
- by William Smyth (1765 - 1849) [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), "When Mortals all to rest retire", WoO. 155 (26 Walisische Lieder) no. 15, G. 226 no. 15, published 1810/2 [ voice, piano, violin, violoncello ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Georg Pertz) , "Wenn tief im Schlummer liegt das All"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2005-01-17
Line count: 25
Word count: 145