by William Cullen Bryant (1794 - 1878)
Translation by Miguel Antonio Caro (1845 - 1909)
Hymn of the City
Language: English
Not in the solitude Alone may man commune with heaven, or see Only in savage wood And sunny vale, the present Deity; Or only hear his voice Where the winds whisper and the waves rejoice. Even here do I behold Thy steps, Almighty!--here, amidst the crowd, Through the great city rolled, With everlasting murmur deep and loud -- Choking the ways that wind `Mongst the proud piles, the work of humankind. Thy golden sunshine comes From the round heaven, and on their dwellings lies, And lights their inner homes; For them thou fill`st with air the unbounded skies, And givest them the stores Of ocean, and the harvests of its shores. Thy spirit is around, Quickening the restless mass that sweeps along; And this eternal sound-- Voices and footfalls of the numberless throng-- Like the resounding sea, Or like the rainy tempest, speaks of thee. And when the hours of rest Come, like a calm upon the mid-sea brine, Hushing its billowy breast-- The quiet of that moment too is thine; It breathes of him who keeps The vast and helpless city while it sleeps.
Authorship:
- by William Cullen Bryant (1794 - 1878), "Hymn of the City", from Poems, first published 1832 [author's text checked 1 time 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 Elinor Remick Warren (1900 - 1991), "Hymn of the City", published 1970 [ SATB chorus, piano or orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Miguel Antonio Caro) , "Himno de la ciudad", appears in Traducciones poéticas, Bogotá, Librería Americana, calle XIV, n. 77, 79, first published 1889
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2005-03-15
Line count: 30
Word count: 184
Himno de la ciudad
Language: Spanish (Español)  after the English
No sólo en yermo llano, Ni allá en selvoso apartamiento esquivo, El pensamiento humano Puede á Dios contemplar presente y vivo; Ni sólo oye su acento Donde la onda retumba y silba el viento. También aquí presente Yo te adoro ¡Señor! aquí te miro, Donde bulle la gente Con vasta resonancia y vario giro Entre muros, do ufana Puso su sello audaz la industria humana. Tu luz, vertida á mares Del combo cielo, la ciudad inunda, Penetra los hogares, Espacio lleno de aire nos circunda; Por ti el mar sus tributos Nos da, y las costas sus preñados frutos. Goza vital aliento Tanto agrupado ser, y á ti lo debe; Y el sordo movimiento De inmensa multitud que habla y se mueve, Tu alto poder proclama Cual tormenta que zumba ó mar que brama. Y á la hora del descanso, Cual duerme la alta mar, cesa el tumulto; Y aquel silencio manso, Obra tuya también, te ofrece culto; Tú, soberano dueño, De la inerte ciudad guardas el sueño.
Confirmed with Traducciones poéticas (1889), translated by Miguel Antonio Caro, LIBRERÍA AMERICANA, Bogota, 1889, pp 195-196.
Authorship:
- by Miguel Antonio Caro (1845 - 1909), "Himno de la ciudad", appears in Traducciones poéticas, Bogotá, Librería Americana, calle XIV, n. 77, 79, first published 1889 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by William Cullen Bryant (1794 - 1878), "Hymn of the City", from Poems, first published 1832
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2019-11-04
Line count: 30
Word count: 168