by William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850)
Translation by Jaroslav Vrchlický (1853 - 1912)
Behold her, single in the field
Language: English
Behold her, single in the field, Yon solitary Highland Lass! Reaping and singing by herself; Stop here, or gently pass! Alone she cuts and binds the grain, And sings a melancholy strain; O listen! for the Vale profound Is overflowing with the sound. No Nightingale did ever chaunt More welcome notes to weary bands Of travellers in some shady haunt, Among Arabian sands: A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird, Breaking the silence of the seas Among the farthest Hebrides. Will no one tell me what she sings? -- Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow For old, unhappy, far-off things, And battles long ago: Or is it some more humble lay, Familiar matter of to-day? Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain, That has been, and may be again? Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang As if her song could have no ending; I saw her singing at her work, And o'er the sickle bending; -- I listened, motionless and still; And, as I mounted up the hill, The music in my heart I bore, Long after it was heard no more.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850), "The solitary reaper", from Poems, Volume II, first published 1807 [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 Alan Bullard (b. 1947), "The solitary reaper", 1995, first performed 1995 [ soprano and violin (or treble recorder, or oboe) ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mary Chandler (b. 1911), "The solitary reaper", published 1959 [ partsong for SS chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Michael Diack (1869 - 1946), "The solitary reaper", published 1949 [ reciter, unaccompanied ], cantata ; arrangement of music by Haydn and Beethoven [sung text not yet checked]
- by Patrick Arthur Sheldon Hadley (1899 - 1973), "The solitary reaper", published 1936 [ satb chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by William McCauley (b. 1917), "The solitary reaper" [ SSA chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Geraldine Dorothy Rasmussen (b. 1925?6), "The solitary reaper", c1969-70 [ soprano and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ruth Schonthal (1924 - 2006), "The solitary reaper", 1978, published <<1981 [ high voice or medium voice, flute, piano, cello ], Furore Verlag; revised 1981 [sung text not yet checked]
- by W. F. Snell , "The solitary reaper", published 1916, unverified by catalogers (Gooch and Thatcher) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alec Templeton (b. 1910), "Hebridean Song", published 1939 [ voice and piano ], note: the sung text begins with stanza 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Eric Harding Thiman (1900 - 1975), "The solitary reaper", published 1931 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Leslie Walters (1902 - 1998), "The solitary reaper", 1961, first performed 1963 [ partsong for satb chorus a cappella ], from Intimations of Mortality [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ian Dunn Whyte (1901 - 1960), "The solitary reaper", <<1960 [ SATB chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Wood (1866 - 1926), "The solitary reaper", published 1930 [ partsong for satb chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by William Brocklesby Wordsworth (1908 - 1988), "The solitary reaper", op. 96, published 1975 [ soprano, clarinet, and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Vrchlický) , "Osamělá žnečka"
Researcher for this page: Ton van der Steenhoven
This text was added to the website: 2008-07-18
Line count: 32
Word count: 183
Osamělá žnečka
Language: Czech (Čeština) after the English
Viz tamo děvče samotné z hor našich statné děvče, polem jak sama zpívá si a žne stůj, nebo tich jdi kolem! Tak sama žne a vázat spěje a smutnou píseň sobě pěje, ó poslouchej, kraj celý kol zní jejím zpěvem, stráň i dol. Tak nikdy slavík nezpíval, by vítal chodce v zemi dálné na oase, kde pouště pal kdes v Arabii skalné; ba sotva kukačky tak žaly se plně, silně rozléhaly ve oceanu tichý klid až nejdálnějších od Hebrid. Co zpívá tu, kdo ví to dnes? Co tonů těch dí žalné roje? Zda trudů zašlých lká v tom směs, ryk zapadlého boje? Či tyto prosté nářky pějí o věcech, jež se denně dějí, trud všední, starost, péče hlas, jak bývalo a dnes je zas? Ať komukoliv pěla jen zpěv její slyším neustále, obličej k srpu nakloněn v své práci zpívá stejně dále. Naslouchám dojat bez pohnutí, ač do hor dál mne cesta nutí, ač dozněl v uchu zpěvu spád, zní v srdci dál mi napořád!
Confirmed with Moderní básníci angličtí (1700—1800), translated by Jaroslav Vrchlický, Praha : Jos. R. Vilímek, vyd. okolo 1900, pages 74–75.
Text Authorship:
- by Jaroslav Vrchlický (1853 - 1912), "Osamělá žnečka" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850), "The solitary reaper", from Poems, Volume II, first published 1807
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 ]
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2019-07-16
Line count: 32
Word count: 165