I would in that sweet bosom be 
  (O sweet it is and fair it is!) 
Where no rude wind might visit me. 
  Because of sad austerities 
I would in that sweet bosom be. 

I would be ever in that heart 
  (O soft I knock and soft entreat her!) 
Where only peace might be my part. 
  Austerities were all the sweeter 
So I were ever in that heart.

Note: first published as "A wish" in Speaker (October 1904)

Composition:

Set to music by David Arditti (b. 1964), no title, op. 20 no. 5 (1998) [ tenor and string quartet ], from Chamber Music, no. 5

Text Authorship:

• by James Joyce (1882 - 1941), appears in Chamber Music, no. 6, 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]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 10
Word count: 67