Nightingale | Perhaps by God’s slip, a nightingale

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by Zofia Szymanowska (1898 - 1946)

Translation © by Klaudia Magdon

Słowik

Language: Polish (Polski)

Our translations: ENG

Zda mi się nieraz, że Bóg się pomylił,
miast serca zamknął w piersiach mych słowika.
Co milczy we dnie, a gdy noc nastanie,
miłosną w gwiezdne niebo bije pieśnią.

Text Authorship:

by Zofia Szymanowska (1898 - 1946) [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 Karol Maciej Szymanowski (1882 - 1937), "Słowik", op. 31 no. 2, published 1933 [ soprano and orchestra ], from Pieśni księżniczki z baśni, no. 2, also set in French (Français), also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in French (Français), a translation by Zofia Szymanowska (1898 - 1946) , "Le rossignol" ; composed by Karol Maciej Szymanowski.
- Go to the text.
Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Jan Śliwiński (1884 - 1950) , "Die Nachtigall" ; composed by Karol Maciej Szymanowski.
- Go to the text.

Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Klaudia Magdon) , "Nightingale", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2005-06-25
Line count: 4
Word count: 29

Nightingale

Language: English after the Polish (Polski)

Perhaps by God’s slip, a nightingale
lives in my breast, not a heart
Silent by day, and by dusk
Radiates songs of love into the starlit night

Text Authorship:

Translation from Polish (Polski) to English copyright © 2025 by Klaudia Magdon, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in Polish (Polski) by Zofia Szymanowska (1898 - 1946)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-11-21
Line count: 4
Word count: 27