possibly by Dafydd ap Gwilym (c1340 - c1400)
Translation by ? Roberts of Pentre, Reverend
To the blackbird
Language: English  after the Welsh (Cymraeg)
Sweet warbler of a strain divine, What woodland note can equal thine? No hermit's matins hail the day More pure than fine from yonder spray. Thy glossy plumes of sable hue, Retiring from the searching view, Protect the like, the leafy screen Beneath whose shade thou singst unseen. What ermine vest was e'er so warm As plumes of down that clothe thy form! Thy graceful crest, thy sparkling eye, And slender bill of coral dye, Are still less charming than thy song Which echoes through the woods prolong: Thy mellow strain delights the ear Of the sweet maid my soul holds dear. Thou to the poet art allied, Be then thy minstrelsy my pride: Thy poet then, thy song I'll praise, Thy name shall grace my happiest lays; To future lovers shall proclaim Thy worth, thy beauty, and thy fame, And when they hear thee in the grove, Thy'll own thee for the bird of love.
Authorship:
- by ? Roberts of Pentre, Reverend [an adaptation] [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Welsh (Cymraeg) possibly by Dafydd ap Gwilym (c1340 - c1400)
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827), "To the blackbird", WoO. 155 (26 Walisische Lieder) no. 20 (1809-10) [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Georg Pertz) , "An die Amsel"
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2006-01-11
Line count: 24
Word count: 156