by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Translation by Launcelot Alfred Cranmer-Byng (1872 - 1945)
Mother of Pity, hear my prayer
Language: English after the Chinese (中文)
Taken from a tomb on the Fu-Kiu mountain district of So-Chau in the Province of Kiangsu. The date of the poem is many centuries old. Mother of Pity, hear my prayer That in the endless round of birth No more may break my heart on earth, Nor by the windless waters of the Blest Weary of rest; That drifting, drifting, I abide not anywhere. Yet if by Karma's law I must Resume this mantle of the dust Grant me, I pray, One dewdrop from thy willow spray, And in the double lotus keep My hidden heart asleep.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Launcelot Alfred Cranmer-Byng (1872 - 1945), "Lines from the tomb of an unknown woman", appears in A Feast of Lanterns, first published 1916 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Chinese (中文) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Granville Ransome Bantock, Sir (1868 - 1946), "From the tomb of an unknown woman", 1917, published 1918 [ voice and piano ], from Songs from the Chinese Poets: Set III, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Phyllis Campbell (1891 - 1974), "A prayer to Kwan-Yin", copyright © 2018 [ voice and piano ], Wirripang Pty Ltd [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-01-18
Line count: 14
Word count: 98