by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)
Translation by Karl Julius Körner (1793 - 1873)
My soul is dark ‑ Oh! quickly string
Language: English
My soul is dark - Oh! quickly string The harp I yet can brook to hear; And let thy gentle fingers fling Its melting murmurs o'er mine ear. -- If in this heart a hope be dear, That sound shall charm it forth again -- If in these eyes there lurk a tear, 'Twill flow -- and cease to burn my brain -- But bid the strain be wild and deep, Nor let thy notes of joy be first: I tell thee -- Minstrel! I must weep, Or else this heavy heart will burst -- For it hath been by sorrow nurst, And ached in sleepless silence long -- And now 'tis doom'd to know the worst, And break at once -- or yield to song.
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotesText Authorship:
- by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "My soul is dark", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 9, adaptation of I Samuel 16:14-23, first published 1815 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Go to the general view
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 118
Mein Herz ist schwer! auf! Von der Wand
NOTE: the footnotes have been removed from this text; return to general view
Language: German (Deutsch) after the English
Mein Herz ist schwer! auf! Von der Wand Die Laute, sie mag ich noch hören; Entlocke mit geschickter Hand Ihr Töne, die den Schmerz bethören! Kann noch mein Herz ein Hoffen nähren, Es zaubern’s diese Töne her, Und birgt mein trocknes Auge Zähren, Sie fließen, und mich brennt's nicht mehr! Nur tief sey, wild der Töne Fluß, Und von der Freude weggekehret! Ja, Sänger, daß ich weinen muß, Sonst wird das schwere Herz verzehret! Denn sieh! vom Kummer ward's genähret; Mit stummem Wachen trug es lang; Jetzt ward's vom Aeussersten belehret -- Da bricht's, wo nicht, heilt's im Gesang!
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotesConfirmed with Julius Körner (translator), Lord Byron’s Poesien, Erstes Bändchen, Zwickau: im Verlage der Gebrüder Schumann, 1821, page 15
Text Authorship:
- by Karl Julius Körner (1793 - 1873), "Die Laute", appears in Israelitische Gesänge, no. 9, first published 1821 [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), "My soul is dark", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 9, adaptation of I Samuel 16:14-23, first published 1815
Go to the general view
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-19
Line count: 16
Word count: 103