Texts by A. Waley set in Art Songs and Choral Works

Text Collections:

• A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems
• The Book of Songs
• Translations from the Chinese

Texts set in art song or choral works (not necessarily comprehensive):

Legend:
The symbol [x] indicates a placeholder for a text that is not yet in the database.
The symbol ⊗ indicates a translation that is missing an original text.

A * indicates that a text cannot (yet?) be displayed on this site because of its copyright status.
Special notes: All titles and first lines are included in this index, including those used by composers.
Titles used by the text author appear in boldface. First lines appear in italics.
A language code in a blue rectangle like ENG indicates that a translation to that language is available.
A grey rectangle like FRE indicates a particular translation (usually one set to music) exists but isn't yet available.

• A bad bargain (A long time ago) (from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems) - B. Fairchild HUN FRE ⊗
• A beautiful place is the town of Lo-yang - P. Campbell (Lo-yang) ⊗
• A bright moon illumines the night-prospect FRE - B. Fairchild ⊗
• Ah! In the eastern quarter dawn breaks FRE - P. Campbell, B. Fairchild ⊗
• À la rivière, j'ai cueilli des hibiscus ENG - B. Fairchild [x] *
• A long time ago (from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems) HUN FRE - B. Fairchild ⊗
• A quinze ans parti pour l'armée ENG - B. Fairchild [x]
• At fifteen I went with the army FRE - B. Fairchild (Old Poem) ⊗
• A traveller from the far off south lands [possibly misattributed] - K. Hesketh ⊗
• At the time when blossoms - A. Rawsthorne (Five "Tzǔ-yeh" Songs) ⊗
• Au temps passé j'allai en voyage ENG HUN - B. Fairchild [x]
• Autumn song (The flower that has fallen dreams that Spring is done) - P. Campbell ⊗
• Autumn wind rises; white clouds fly - L. Berkeley, B. Britten (The Autumn Wind) ⊗
• Buddhist song (He bids the flowers of Spring) - P. Campbell ⊗
• By the willows of the Eastern Gate, whose (from The Book of Songs) LAT - E. Diemer (By the willows)
• By the willows (By the willows of the Eastern Gate, whose) (from The Book of Songs) - E. Diemer LAT
• Cîmes qui dressez vos fronts ENG - B. Fairchild [x]
• Cliffs that rise a thousand feet FRE - E. Bacon, B. Fairchild, C. Gibbs, A. Rosser (Sailing homeward) ⊗
• Cock-crow Song (Ah! In the eastern quarter dawn breaks) - P. Campbell, B. Fairchild FRE ⊗
• Crossing the river I pluck hibiscus-flowers (from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems - Seventeen Old Poems) FRE ⊗
• Dance song (The unicorn’s hoofs! The unicorn’s hoofs!) - B. Britten ⊗
• Depression (Turned to jade are the boy’s rosy cheeks) - B. Britten ⊗
• Don’t help -- on the big chariot - B. Britten (The big chariot) ⊗
• Dragons and snakes haunt marshlands [possibly misattributed] - K. Hesketh ⊗
• Dreaming of a dead lady (I heard at night your long sighs) - L. Berkeley ⊗
• En cueillant des roseaux (Longs roseaux aux fleurs rouges) - B. Fairchild ENG [x]
• Enjoying Pine and Bamboo (Dragons and snakes haunt marshlands) - K. Hesketh [possibly misattributed] ⊗
• Far away twinkles the Herd-boy star (from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems - Seventeen Old Poems) FIN ⊗
• Five "Tzǔ-yeh" Songs (At the time when blossoms) ⊗
• Flowers and moonlight on the spring river (The evening river is level and motionless) ⊗
• Flowers and moonlight (The evening river is level and motionless) - E. Bacon ⊗
• Green, green, the grass by the river-bank (Green, green) - A. Rawsthorne ⊗
• Green, green - A. Rawsthorne ⊗
• Green rushes with red shoots FRE - B. Fairchild, C. Orr (Plucking the rushes) ⊗
• He bids the flowers of Spring - P. Campbell ⊗
• I heard at night your long sighs - L. Berkeley ⊗
• In the eastern quarter dawn breaks FRE ⊗
• In the north-west there is a high house - A. Rawsthorne ⊗
• In the southern village the boy who minds the ox - B. Britten (The herd-boy) ⊗
• Invocation (Cîmes qui dressez vos fronts) - B. Fairchild ENG [x]
• La lune si blanche luit ENG - A. Copland [x] *
• La Nuit (Quand la lune éclaire la nuit) - B. Fairchild ENG [x]
• Le Grain nouveau (Les années passent et sans retour) - B. Fairchild ENG [x]
• Le Message (À la rivière, j'ai cueilli des hibiscus) - B. Fairchild ENG [x] *
• Le Perroquet rouge (On a reçu jadis d'Annam) - B. Fairchild ENG [x]
• Les années passent et sans retour ENG - B. Fairchild [x]
• Li Fu-Jen (The sound of her silk skirt has stopped) - P. Campbell ⊗
• L'Inutile voyage (Au temps passé j'allai en voyage) - B. Fairchild ENG HUN [x]
• Living in retirement beyond the World (from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems) HUN (The Valley Wind) - ⊗
• Longs roseaux aux fleurs rouges ENG - B. Fairchild [x]
• L'Orient s'éclaire là-bas ENG - B. Fairchild [x]
• Lo-yang (A beautiful place is the town of Lo-yang) - P. Campbell ⊗
• New Corn (Swiftly the years, beyond recall) (from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems) - P. Campbell, B. Fairchild FRE ⊗
• Night (A bright moon illumines the night-prospect) - B. Fairchild FRE ⊗
• Of cord and cassia-wood is the harp compounded (from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems) - B. Britten (The Old Harp)
• Of cord and cassia-wood is the lute compounded (from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems) (The Old Harp) - B. Britten
• Of marsh-mallows my boat is made - P. Campbell (The Ferry) ⊗
• Of this day's glorious feast and revel (from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems - Seventeen Old Poems) - A. Rawsthorne ⊗
• Old Poem (At fifteen I went with the army) - B. Fairchild FRE ⊗
• Old Poem (The bright moon, oh, how white it shines) (from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems) - A. Copland FRE ⊗
• On a reçu jadis d'Annam ENG - B. Fairchild [x]
• Our love was pure - E. Bacon (Song of snow-white heads) ⊗
• Parting (Our love was pure) - E. Bacon ⊗
• People hide their love (Who says / That it's by my desire) (from Translations from the Chinese) - L. Berkeley, E. Diemer ⊗
• Plucking rushes (Green rushes with red shoots) - B. Fairchild FRE ⊗
• Plucking the rushes (Green rushes with red shoots) - C. Orr FRE ⊗
• Polka (In the north-west there is a high house) - A. Rawsthorne ⊗
• Quand la lune éclaire la nuit ENG - B. Fairchild [x]
• Red hills lie athwart us as a menace in the west (The Red Hills) - ⊗
• Réveille-matin (L'Orient s'éclaire là-bas) - B. Fairchild ENG [x]
• Sailing homeward (Cliffs that rise a thousand feet) - E. Bacon, B. Fairchild, C. Gibbs, A. Rosser FRE ⊗
• Sent as a present from Annam FRE - B. Britten, B. Fairchild, K. Hesketh (The Red Cockatoo) ⊗
• Song of snow-white heads (Our love was pure) - E. Bacon ⊗
• Swiftly the years, beyond recall (from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems) FRE - P. Campbell, B. Fairchild (New Corn) ⊗
• Tchirek River - P. Campbell ⊗
• Tchirek Song (Tchirek River) - P. Campbell ⊗
• The autumn wind (Autumn wind rises; white clouds fly) - L. Berkeley, B. Britten ⊗
• The big chariot (Don’t help -- on the big chariot) - B. Britten ⊗
• The bright moon, oh, how white it shines (from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems) FRE - A. Copland ⊗
• The bright moon, oh, so bright it shines (from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems) FRE ⊗
• The evening river is level and motionless - E. Bacon (Flowers and moonlight on the spring river) ⊗
• The Ferry (Of marsh-mallows my boat is made) - P. Campbell ⊗
• The flower that has fallen dreams that Spring is done - P. Campbell ⊗
• The herd-boy (In the southern village the boy who minds the ox) - B. Britten ⊗
• The mulberry on the lowland, how graceful! (from The Book of Songs) - E. Diemer ⊗
• The mulberry on the lowland (The mulberry on the lowland, how graceful!) (from The Book of Songs) - E. Diemer ⊗
• The Old Harp (Of cord and cassia-wood is the harp compounded) (from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems)
• The Old Lute (Of cord and cassia-wood is the harp compounded) (from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems) - B. Britten
• The red cockatoo (Sent as a present from Annam) - B. Britten, B. Fairchild FRE ⊗
• The Red Hills (Red hills lie athwart us as a menace in the west) ⊗
• The sound of her silk skirt has stopped - P. Campbell (Li Fu-jēn) ⊗
• The unicorn’s hoofs! The unicorn’s hoofs! - B. Britten ⊗
• The Valley Wind (Living in retirement beyond the World) (from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems) HUN ⊗
• Those who speak know nothing - K. Hesketh ⊗
• Three Commentaries: The Philosopher (Those who speak know nothing) - K. Hesketh ⊗
• Three Commentaries: The Red Cockatoo (Sent as a present from Annam) - K. Hesketh FRE ⊗
• Travelling Moon (A traveller from the far off south lands) - K. Hesketh [possibly misattributed] ⊗
• Turned to jade are the boy’s rosy cheeks - B. Britten ⊗
• Tzu-Yeh Songs (At the time when blossoms) - A. Rawsthorne ⊗
• Vieux Poème (A quinze ans parti pour l'armée) - B. Fairchild ENG [x]
• Vieux Poème (La lune si blanche luit) - A. Copland ENG [x] *
• Waltz (Of this day's glorious feast and revel) (from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems - Seventeen Old Poems) - A. Rawsthorne ⊗
• Who says / That it's by my desire (from Translations from the Chinese) - L. Berkeley, E. Diemer (People hide their love) ⊗
• Wind and rain, chill, chill! (from The Book of Songs) LAT - E. Diemer (Wind and rain)
• Wind and rain (Wind and rain, chill, chill!) (from The Book of Songs) - E. Diemer LAT

Last update: 2025-04-30 23:54:12