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Of cool sweet dew and radiance mild The moon a web of silence weaves In the still garden where a child Gathers the simple salad leaves. A moondew stars her hanging hair And moonlight kisses her young brow And, gathering she sings an air: [Fair as the wave is, fair art thou!]1 Be mine, I pray, a waxen ear To shield me from her childish croon, And mine a shielded heart for her Who gathers simples of the moon.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)First published in Poetry, May 1917. The text is preceded by the following epigraph: "O bella bionda!/ Sei come l'onda!" Note for stanza 2, line 2: word 3 is "touches" in some editions.
1 Bliss: "O bella bionda! Sei come l'onda!" (the epigraph)Text Authorship:
- by James Joyce (1882 - 1941), "Simples", appears in Pomes Penyeach, no. 7, first published 1917 [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 Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss, Sir (1891 - 1975), "Simples", c1931, published 1933, first performed 1932 [ voice and piano ], from The Joyce Book, no. 7 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by David Del Tredici (1937 - 2023), "Simples", 1965 [ soprano, mezzo-soprano or counter-tenor, and instrumental ensemble ], from Night Conjure-Verse, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Robin Field (b. 1935), "Of cool sweet dew and radiance mild", 1967 [ tenor, oboe, and string quartet ], from The sly reeds whisper [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ben Moore (b. 1960), "Simples" [ voice and piano ], from Eight Songs, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Laughton W. Patrick (b. 1934), "Simples", 1959 [ medium voice, violin, and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bernard Rands (b. 1934), "Simples", published 1980, first performed 1981 [ soprano and orchestra ], from Canti lunatici, no. 2, London : Universal Edition [sung text checked 1 time]
- by John David White (b. 1931), "Simples" [ low voice and piano ], from Three Joyce Songs [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Simples", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 71
Aus kühlsüßem Tau und mildem Glanz webt der Mond ein Gespinst aus Schweigen im stillen Garten, wo ein Kind Heilkraut sammelt, Blatt um Blatt. Mondtau beglänzt ihr fallendes Haar und Mondlicht küsst ihre junge Stirn; sie sammelt und singt eine Melodie: Blond wie die Welle ist, blond, bist du! Ach wär mein Ohr mit Wachs verschlossen, mich vor dem kindlichen Sange zu schützen, und hätte ich doch ein beschützendes Herz für sie, die mondenes Heilkraut sammelt.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translation of the inscription: "O schöne Blonde,/ du bist wie die Welle!"Title: "Simples" = "Heilkraut"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2014 by Bertram Kottmann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Bertram Kottmann. Contact: BKottmann (AT) t-online.de
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Based on:
- a text in English by James Joyce (1882 - 1941), "Simples", appears in Pomes Penyeach, no. 7, first published 1917
This text was added to the website: 2014-09-13
Line count: 12
Word count: 76