by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Translation by Edwin Arnold (1832 - 1904)
Zanouba's Song
Language: English  after the Persian (Farsi)
O face of the tulip! and bosom Of the jasmine! whose Cypress are you? Whose fate are you, cold-hearted Blossom ? -- In the Garden of Grace, where you grew, The lily boasts no more her fragrance, And the rose hangs her head at your feet; Ah! whose is that mouth like the rose-bud, Making honey seem no longer sweet ? You pass, taking hearts; you ensnare one Like wine; and your eyes dart a light As of arrows. Whose are you, most fair one! With brow like the crescent of night ? Have you come to make me, too, your victim ? So be it! Ah, loveliest lip, Give now to this slave who adores you One drop from that death-cup to sip."
Note on poem: "Heard at a Nautch, in Bhaonagar Palace, Nov. 1885"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Authorship:
- by Edwin Arnold (1832 - 1904), "Zanouba's Song", appears in Lotus and Jewel, in Other Poems, first published 1887 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Persian (Farsi) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Frederic Hymen Cowen, Sir (1852 - 1935), "Zanouba's Song", published 1898 [voice and piano], from Third Set of Six Songs, London: Joseph Williams [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-04-08
Line count: 16
Word count: 123