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Six Songs to Poems of James Joyce

Song Cycle by Lorne M. Betts (b. 1918)

?. All day I hear the noise of the water  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
All day I hear the noise of waters
 Making moan,
Sad as the sea-bird is, when going
 Forth alone,
He hears the [winds]1 cry to the waters'
 Monotone.

The grey winds, the cold winds are blowing
 Where I go.
I hear the noise of many waters
 Far below.
All day, all night, I hear them [flowing]2
 To and fro.

Text Authorship:

  • by James Joyce (1882 - 1941), no title, appears in Chamber Music, no. 35, first published 1908

See other settings of this text.

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • IRI Irish (Gaelic) [singable] (Gabriel Rosenstock) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Coulthard: "wind's"
2 Coulthard: "blowing"

Researcher for this page: John Versmoren

?. Strings in the earth and air  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Strings in the earth and air 
  Make music sweet; 
Strings by the river where 
  The willows meet. 

There's music along the river 
  [For Love wanders there,]1
Pale [flowers]2 on his mantle, 
  Dark leaves on his hair. 

All softly playing, 
  With head to [the]3 music bent, 
And fingers straying 
  Upon an instrument.

Text Authorship:

  • by James Joyce (1882 - 1941), appears in Chamber Music, no. 1, first published 1907

See other settings of this text.

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

View original text (without footnotes)
1 omitted by Berio
2 Coulthard: "flow'rs"
3 omitted by Coulthard

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

?. Lightly come or lightly go  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Lightly come or lightly go: 
  Though thy heart presage thee woe, 
Vales and many a wasted sun, 
  Oread, let thy laughter run, 
Till the irreverent mountain air 
Ripple all thy flying hair. 

Lightly, lightly - ever so: 
  Clouds that wrap the vales below 
At the hour of evenstar 
  Lowliest attendants are 
Love and laughter song-confessed 
When the heart is heaviest.

Text Authorship:

  • by James Joyce (1882 - 1941), no title, appears in Chamber Music, no. 25, first published 1907

See other settings of this text.

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

?. Who goes amid the green wood  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Who goes amid the green wood 
  With springtide all adorning her? 
Who goes amid the meny green wood 
  To make it merrier? 

Who passes in the sunlight 
  By ways that know the light footfall? 
Who passes in the sweet sunlight 
  With mien so virginal? 

The ways of all the woodland 
  Gleam with a soft and golden fire? 
For whom does all the sunny woodland 
  Carry so brave attire? 

O, it is for my true love 
The woods their rich apparel wear 
O, it is for my own true love, 
  That is so young and fair.

Text Authorship:

  • by James Joyce (1882 - 1941), appears in Chamber Music, no. 8, first published 1907

See other settings of this text.

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

?. Bright cap and streamers  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Bright cap and streamers,
He sings in the hollow:
Come follow, come follow,
All you that love.
Leave dreams to the dreamers
That will not after,
That song and laughter
Do nothing move.
 
With ribbons streaming
He sings the bolder;
In troop at his shoulder
The wild bees hum.
And the time of dreaming
Dreams is over--
As lover to lover,
Sweetheart, I come.

Text Authorship:

  • by James Joyce (1882 - 1941), no title, appears in Chamber Music, no. 10, first published 1907

See other settings of this text.

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

?. Sleep now, O sleep now  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Sleep now, O sleep now,
  O you unquiet heart!
A voice crying "Sleep now"
  Is heard in my heart.

The voice of the winter
  Is heard at the door.
O sleep, for the winter
  Is crying "Sleep no more."

My kiss will give peace now
  And quiet to your heart -
Sleep on in peace now,
  O you unquiet heart!

Text Authorship:

  • by James Joyce (1882 - 1941), no title, appears in Chamber Music, no. 34, first published 1907

See other settings of this text.

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Walter Riemer) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Total word count: 387
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