A ballad of the wave | I long to be a silver wave

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Zofia Szymanowska (1898 - 1946)

Translation © by Klaudia Magdon

Pieśń o fali

Language: Polish (Polski)

Our translations: ENG

Chciałabym srebrną być falą,
co burt twej łodzi całuje.
Na harfie rozwianych grzyw
tęskne śpiewałabym pieśni.

A gdyby gniewne wichry
twą łódź rozbiły o skałę,
na mej piersi białej,
ukołysałabym cię
na wieczny sen!

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), "Pieśń o fali", op. 31 no. 5 (1933) [ soprano and orchestra ], from Pieśni księżniczki z baśni, no. 5, 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 chant de la vague" ; composed by Karol Maciej Szymanowski.
- Go to the text.
Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Jan Śliwiński (1884 - 1950) , "Das Lied der Welle" ; composed by Karol Maciej Szymanowski.
- Go to the text.

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

ENG English (Klaudia Magdon) , "A ballad of the wave", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Klaudia Magdon

This text was added to the website: 2005-06-25
Line count: 9
Word count: 34

A ballad of the wave

Language: English after the Polish (Polski)

I long to be a silver wave,
that kisses the side of your ship.
Upon the harp of wind-tossed crests
I would sing my wistful songs.

And should the wrathful winds
shatter your ship against the rock,
upon my white breast
I would cradle you softly
to eternal sleep!

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: 9
Word count: 49