by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)
Translation by Mikhail Yur'yevich Lermontov (1814 - 1841)
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]1 -- And now 'tis doom'd to know the worst, And break at once -- or yield to song.
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Text 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
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Alexis Paulin Pâris) , "Mon ame est sombre", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 9
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: 117
Душа моя мрачна Matches base text
Language: Russian (Русский)  after the English
Душа моя мрачна. Скорей, певец, скорей! Вот арфа золотая: Пускай персты твои, промчавшися по ней, Пробудят в струнах звуки рая. И если не навек надежды рок унёс, Они в груди моей проснутся, И если есть в очах застывших капля слёз - Они растают и прольются. Пусть будет песнь твоя дика. Как мой венец, Мне тягостны веселья звуки! Я говорю тебе: я слёз хочу, певец, Иль разорвётся грудь от муки. Страданьями была упитана она, Томилась долго и безмолвно; и грозный Час настал - теперь она полна, Как кубок смерти, яда полный.
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Note on TransliterationsComposition:
- Set to music by Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (1829 - 1894), "Душа моя мрачна", op. 78 (Zwölf Lieder aus dem Russischen von W. Osterwald (Twelve Russian Songs)) no. 1 (<<1894), published 1868 [ voice and piano ], also set in German (Deutsch)
Text Authorship:
- by Mikhail Yur'yevich Lermontov (1814 - 1841), no title
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
See other settings of this text.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-03
Line count: 16
Word count: 88