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King David was a sorrowful man:
No cause for his sorrow had he;
And he called for the music of a hundred harps,
To ease his melancholy.
They played till they all fell silent:
Played and play sweet did they;
But the sorrow that haunted the heart of King David
They could not charm away.
He rose; and in his garden
Walked by the moon alone,
A nightingale hidden in a cypress tree,
Jargoned on and on.
King David lifted his sad eyes
Into the dark-boughed tree --
"Tell me, thou little bird that singest,
Who taught my grief to thee?"
But the bird in no-wise heeded;
And the king in the cool of the moon
Hearkened to the nightingale's sorrowfulness,
Till all his own was gone.
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
Confirmed with Peacock Pie. A Book of Rhymes by Walter de la Mare, London: Constable & Co. Ltd., [1920], page 111.
Text Authorship:
- by Walter De la Mare (1873 - 1956), "King David", appears in Peacock Pie: A Book of Rhymes, in 4. Places and People, no. 12, first published 1913 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (1889 - 1960), "King David", published 1951 [ mezzo-soprano solo (or semichorus), SSA chorus, and string orchestra, and piano ], from In a Dream's Beguiling [sung text not yet checked]
- by Herbert Norman Howells (1892 - 1983), "King David", 1919, published 1923 [ voice and piano ], from A Garland for de la Mare, no. 12 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Michael John Hurd (1928 - 2006), "King David", published 1968 [ unison chorus and piano ], from Sea and Shore Songs [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Proctor (1906 - 1996), "King David", published 1945 [ high voice and piano or string orchestra ], from Four Various Songs [sung text not yet checked]
- by Freda Mary Swain (1902 - 1985), "King David", 1945-50 [ baritone and piano or string quartet ensemble ], from From "Peacock Pie" [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Sharon Krebs) , "König David", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (José Miguel Llata) , "El rey David", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Virginia Knight , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 127
König David war ein trauriger Mann:
Für seine Trauer hatte er keinen Grund;
Und er verlangte die Musik von hundert Harfen,
Um seinem Schwermut zu lindern.
Sie spielten, bis sie all schwiegen:
Spielten, und süß spielten sie;
Aber die Trauer, die das Herz des Königs David verfolgte,
Konnten sie nicht fortzaubern.
Er erhob sich, und in seinem Garten
Wandelte er im Mondlicht allein,
Eine Nachtigall, in einer Zypresse versteckt,
Plauderte fort und fort.
König David erhob seine traurigen Augen
Zu dem dunkel-beästeten Baum --
"Sag mir, du kleiner Vogel der singt,
Wer hat dich mein Leid gelehrt?"
Aber der Vogel beachtete ihn in keinerlei Weise;
Und der König horchte in der Kühle des Monds
Auf den Kummer der Nachtigall,
Bis sein eigener völlig zerrann.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2014 by Sharon Krebs, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by Walter De la Mare (1873 - 1956), "King David", appears in Peacock Pie: A Book of Rhymes, in 4. Places and People, no. 12, first published 1913
This text was added to the website: 2014-01-23
Line count: 20
Word count: 124