When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom'd, And the great star early droop'd in the western sky in the night, I mourn'd, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring. [Ever-returning]1 spring, trinity sure to me you bring, Lilac blooming [perennial and drooping star in the west]2, And thought of him I love.
When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom'd
Set by Paul Hindemith (1895 - 1963), "When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom'd" [ baritone, mezzo-soprano, chorus and orchestra ], from cantata When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom'd, no. 1  [sung text checked 1 time]
Note: this setting is made up of several separate texts.
Authorship:
- by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892), no title, appears in Memories of President Lincoln, in When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd, no. 1
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Quand les derniers lilas dans la petite cour fleurissaient", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
1 Fine: "O Ever-returning"
2 Hartmann: "perennial, misery you give to us all,"
Researcher for this page: Ahmed E. Ismail
O powerful western fallen star! O shades of night! O moody, tearful night! O great star disappear'd! O the black murk that hides the star! O cruel hands that hold me powerless! O helpless soul of me! O harsh surrounding cloud, that will not free my soul!
Authorship:
- by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892), no title, appears in Memories of President Lincoln, in When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd, no. 2
See other settings of this text.
Researcher for this page: Ahmed E. IsmailIn the dooryard fronting an old farm-house near the white-wash'd palings, Stands the lilac-bush, tall-growing, with heart-shaped leaves of rich green, With many a pointed blossom, rising, delicate, with the perfume strong I love, With every leaf a miracle ... and from this bush [in the door-yard, With delicate-color'd blossoms, and heart-shaped leaves of rich green,]1 A sprig, with its flower, I break.
Authorship:
- by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892), no title, appears in Memories of President Lincoln, in When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd, no. 3
See other settings of this text.
View original text (without footnotes)1 omitted by Sessions
Researcher for this page: Ahmed E. Ismail