by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)
Translation by Franz Theremin (1780 - 1846)
A spirit pass'd before me
Language: English  after the Latin
A spirit pass'd before me: I beheld The face of immortality unveil'd -- Deep sleep came down on every eye save mine -- And there it stood, -- all formless -- but divine; Along my bones the creeping flesh did quake; And as my damp hair stiffen'd, thus it spake: 'Is man more just that God? Is man more pure Than he who deems even Seraphs insecure? Creatures of clay -- vain dwellers in the dust! The moth survives you, and are ye more just? Things of day! you wither ere the night, Heedless and blind to Wisdom's wasted light!'
Authorship:
- by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "A spirit pass'd before me", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 28, first published 1815 [an adaptation] [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Latin by Bible or other Sacred Texts , Job 4
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Milton Barnes , "A spirit pass'd before me", 1958 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by William Richard Bexfield (1824 - 1853), "A spirit pass'd before me", op. 4 no. ?, published 1848 [ bass and piano ], from Musica di Camera [sung text not yet checked]
- by Harry Collings Deacon (1822 - 1890), "A spirit pass'd before me", published 1855 [ low voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur H. Gutman , "A spirit pass'd before me", published 1940 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Clarence S. Hill , "A spirit pass'd before me", published 1911 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Isaac Nathan (1790 - 1864), "A spirit pass'd before me" [ voice and piano ], from A Selection of Hebrew Melodies No. I, no. 28 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Howard D. Salins , "A spirit pass'd before me", published 1906 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Franz Theremin (1780 - 1846) , "Eliphas Gesicht, aus dem Hiob", appears in Hebräische Gesänge, first published 1820 ; composed by Carl Loewe.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Alexis Paulin Pâris) , "Un esprit a passé devant moi", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 28
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-13
Line count: 12
Word count: 95
An mir vorüber ging ein Geist; das Bild
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English
An mir vorüber ging ein Geist; das Bild Der Ewigkeit erschien mir unverhüllt. Schlaf fiel auf jedes Aug, nur meines nicht; Es stand formlos, doch göttlich das Gesicht. Das Haar auf meinem Haupte stieg empor, Mein Fleisch erbebte; und so klangs dem Ohr: Wie mag der Mensch gerechter sein denn Gott, Denn Er, deß Tadel selbst dem Seraph droht? Was bist du mehr, Geschlecht aus Ton und Staub, Als jener Wurm, dem du einst wirst zum Raub? Du währst vom Morgen bis der Abend graut; Du stirbst -- und hast die Wahrheit nicht geschaut.
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View text with all available footnotesAuthorship:
- by Franz Theremin (1780 - 1846), "Eliphas Gesicht, aus dem Hiob", appears in Hebräische Gesänge, first published 1820 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "A spirit pass'd before me", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 28, first published 1815 [an adaptation]
Based on:
- a text in Latin by Bible or other Sacred Texts , Job 4
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869), "Eliphas' Gesicht", op. 14 (Hebräische Gesänge) no. 2 (1826), published 1827 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-13
Line count: 12
Word count: 93