by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 - 1822)
Translation Jean-Pierre Granger
On a poet's lips I slept
Language: English
On a poet's lips I slept Dreaming like a love-adept In the sound his breathing kept; Nor seeks nor finds he mortal blisses, But feeds on the aëreal kisses Of shapes that haunt thought's wildernesses. He will watch from dawn to gloom The lake-reflected sun illume The yellow bees in the ivy-bloom, Nor heed nor see, what things they be; But from these create he can Forms more real than living man, Nurslings of immortality!
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship
- by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 - 1822), appears in Prometheus Unbound [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 Creighton Allen (1900 - 1969), "The poet's world", published 1928. [medium voice or high voice, piano] [text not verified]
- by Sir Edward Cuthbert Bairstow (1874 - 1946), "On a poet's lips I slept", published 1929. [SSA chorus a cappella] [text not verified]
- by (William) Havergal Brian (1876 - 1972), "On a poet's lips I slept", 1919. [text not verified]
- by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "On a poet's lips I slept", op. 60 no. 1, from Nocturne for tenor solo, seven obligato instruments and string orchestra, no. 1. [text verified 1 time]
- by Jean Coulthard (1908 - 2000), "On a poet's lips I slept", 1972/3, from Songs for Enchantment, no. 1. [text not verified]
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Jean-Pierre Granger)
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , title 1: "He dormit damunt els llavis d’un poeta", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Sur les lèvres d'un poète, j'ai dormi
Language: French (Français) after the English
Sur les lèvres d'un poète, j'ai dormi, Rêvant comme un disciple de l'amour Dans le son que son souffle gardait ; Ne cherchant ni ne trouvant des voluptées mortelles Mais se nourissant des baisers aériens des figures Qui hantent les contrées sauvages de la pensée. Il contemplera de l'aube jusqu'aux ténèbres Le reflet du soleil dans le lac illuminer les abeilles dorées dans le lierre fleuri Sans écouter ni voir ce que cela pourrait être ; Mais il pourra en sculpter des formes encore plus réelles qu'un être vivant, Nourissons immortels !
About the headline (FAQ)
The translator has released this translation into the public domain.Authorship
- Translation from English to French (Français) by Jean-Pierre Granger
- a text in English by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 - 1822), appears in Prometheus Unbound