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I wander by the edge Of this desolate lake Where wind cries in the sedge: Until the axle break That keeps the stars in their round, And hands hurl in the deep The banners of East and West. And the girdle of light is unbound, Your breast will not lie by the breast Of your beloved in sleep.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with W. B. Yeats, Later Poems, Macmillan and Co., London, 1926, page 32.
Note: first published in Dome, May 1898 as one of the "Aodh to Dectora. Three Songs", revised 1899, revised 1906.Text Authorship:
- by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939), title 1: "Aedh hears the Cry of the Sedge", title 2: "He hears the Cry of the Sedge", appears in The Wind among the reeds, first published 1899 [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 Stanley Grill (b. 1953), "He hears the cry of the sedge", copyright © 1977 [ soprano and piano ], from Six Songs, no. 3, confirmed with an online score [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Lowell Liebermann (b. 1961), "He Hears The Cry Of The Sedge", op. 40 no. 3 (1993) [ tenor, flute, string quartet, and piano ], from A Poet to His Beloved, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Paul Schwartz (1907 - 1999), "He hears the cry of the sedge", 1945 [ voice and piano ], from A Poet to His Beloved [sung text not yet checked]
- by Peter Warlock (1894 - 1930), "He hears the cry of the sedge", c1920, published 1924 [ tenor solo, flute, English horn and string quartet ], from The Curlew, no. 6 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: David K. Smythe
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 10
Word count: 58
J'erre au bord De ce lac désolé Où le vent crie dans les carex : Jusqu'à ce que se brise l'axe Qui maintient la ronde des étoiles, Et que des mains jettent dans l'abîme Les bannières de l'Est et de l'Ouest, Et que la ceinture de lumière soit dénouée Ta poitrine ne reposera pas près de la poitrine De ta bien aimée endormie.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translation of title "He hears the Cry of the Sedge" = "Il entend le Cri des Carex"Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2015 by Pierre Mathé, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
- a text in English by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939), title 1: "Aedh hears the Cry of the Sedge", title 2: "He hears the Cry of the Sedge", appears in The Wind among the reeds, first published 1899
This text was added to the website: 2015-12-27
Line count: 10
Word count: 62