Warriors and chiefs! should the shaft or the sword Pierce me in leading the host of the Lord, Heed not the corse, though a king's, in your path: Bury your steel in the bosoms of Gath! Thou who art bearing my buckler and bow, Should the soldiers of Saul look away from the foe, Stretch me that moment in blood at thy feet! Mine be the doom which they dared not to meet. Farewell to others, but never we part, Heir to my royalty, son of my heart! Bright is the diadem, boundless the sway, Or kingly the death, which awaits us to-day!
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "Song of Saul before his last battle", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 13, first published 1815 [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 Akhilles Nikolayevich Alferaki (1846 - 1919), "Song of Saul before his last battle", op. 28 (4 Романса с сопровождением фортепиано (4 Romansa s soprovozhdeniem fortepiano)) no. 4, published 1898 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Belaieff, also set in Russian (Русский) [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Mais Capel (1862 - 1931), "Song of Saul before his last battle", published 1902 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by George Alfred Grant-Schaefer (1872 - 1939), "Song of Saul", published 1913 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Isaac Nathan (1790 - 1864), "Warriors and chiefs", published 1815 [ voice and piano ], from A Selection of Hebrew Melodies No. I, no. 13 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Franz Theremin (1780 - 1846) , appears in Hebräische Gesänge, first published 1820 ; composed by Carl Loewe.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Karl Julius Körner (1793 - 1873) , "Sauls Lied vor seiner letzten Schlacht", appears in Israelitische Gesänge, no. 12 ; composed by Heinrich August Marschner.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Carl Debrois van Bruyck .
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- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Adolf Böttger (1815 - 1870) , "Saul's Lied vor seiner letzten Schlacht", appears in Hebräische Melodien, no. 13, first published 1841 ; composed by Max Seifriz.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Ivan Ivanovich Kozlov (1779 - 1840) ; composed by Modest Petrovich Musorgsky.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Mikhail Nikolayevich Psalti (1867 - 1905) ; composed by Akhilles Nikolayevich Alferaki.
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Alexis Paulin Pâris) , "Chant de Saül avant sa dernière bataille", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 13
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-10-19
Line count: 12
Word count: 103
Krieger und Feldherrn! Wenn Pfeil oder Schwert, Führend die Schaaren des Herrn, mich versehrt: Achtet des Leichnams, des Königes nicht, Euch ruft zum Tod der Gathiter die Pflicht! Du, der mir träget den Bogen und Schild, Siehst du Sauls Streiter zu fliehen gewillt, Strömen laß schnell dir zu Füßen mein Blut, Mein sey das Loos, dem zu nah'n sie nicht Muth! Lebt wohl, ihr Andern! -- Wir bleiben vereint, Erbe des Thrones, mein Sohn und mein Freund! Schimmer steht, ewiger Ruhm uns bereit, Oder -- wie Könige sterben wir heut!
Confirmed with Julius Körner (translator), Lord Byron’s Poesien, Erstes Bändchen, Zwickau: im Verlage der Gebrüder Schumann, 1821, page 19
Authorship:
- by Karl Julius Körner (1793 - 1873), "Sauls Lied vor seiner letzten Schlacht", appears in Israelitische Gesänge, no. 12 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "Song of Saul before his last battle", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 13, first published 1815
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Heinrich August Marschner (1795 - 1861), "Sauls Lied vor seiner letzten Schlacht", op. 100 no. 6, published 1839 [voice and piano], from Israelitsche Gesänge von Lord Byron mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 6, Berlin, Trautwein [ sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Saul’s song [sung] before his last battle", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2018-06-16
Line count: 12
Word count: 88