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When once the sun sinks in the west, And dew-drops pearl the Evening's breast; Almost as pale as moonbeams are, Or its companionable star, The Evening Primrose opes anew Its delicate blossoms to the dew; And hermit-like, shunning the light, Wastes its fair bloom upon the Night; Who, blindfold to its fond caresses, Knows not the beauty he possesses. Thus it blooms on while Night is by; When Day looks out with open eye, 'Bashed at the gaze it cannot shun, It faints, and withers, and is gone.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with The Rural Muse : Poems by John Clare, London, Whittaker, 1835, page 137.
Text Authorship:
- by John Clare (1793 - 1864), "Evening Primrose", appears in The Rural Muse, in Sonnets, no. 37, first published 1835 [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 (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "The evening primrose", 1950, published 1951 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from Five Flower Songs, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Pauline Kroger) , "De teunisbloem", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Bertram Kottmann) , "Nachtkerzen", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 88
Als eenmaal de zon weer ter kimme neigt, en de avond een paarlen dauwketting krijgt; Dan, schier zo bleek als maneschijn, of begeleidend sterrenlicht kan zijn, Toont de teunisbloem haar bloesem weer geopend aan de dauw zo teer; En schuw als een heremiet voor licht Houdt ze haar bloem tot de nacht gericht; Die als geblinddoekt voor haar tederheid onwetend van haar schoonheid blijft; Zo bloeit ze maar voort tijdens de nacht; En als de dag weer kijkt met volle kracht verbleekt ze, ze kan hem niet ongaan, die blik, ze verwelkt en is vergaan.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Dutch (Nederlands) copyright © 2009 by Pauline Kroger, (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 John Clare (1793 - 1864), "Evening Primrose", appears in The Rural Muse, in Sonnets, no. 37, first published 1835
This text was added to the website: 2009-11-16
Line count: 14
Word count: 95