by
James Joyce (1882 - 1941)
Nightpiece
Language: English
Our translations: FRE GER
Gaunt in gloom
The pale stars their torches
Enshrouded wave.
Ghostfires from heaven's far verges faint illume
Arches on soaring arches,
Night's sindark nave.
Seraphim
The lost hosts awaken
To service till
In moonless gloom each lapses, muted, dim
Raised when she has and shaken
Her thurible.
And long and loud
To night's nave upsoaring
A starknell tolls
As the bleak incense surges, cloud on cloud,
Voidward from the adoring
Waste of souls.
First published in
Poetry, May 1917
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by George Antheil (1900 - 1959), "Nightpiece", published 1933 [ voice and piano ], from The Joyce Book, no. 9 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by David Del Tredici (1937 - 2023), "Nightpiece", published 1966 [ soprano, chimes, horn and orchestra ], from Syzygy, no. 2, New York : Boosey & Hawkes [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Geert van Keulen (b. 1943), "Nightpiece", 1943, published 1984, rev. 1984 [ soprano, flute (alto flute and piccolo), clarinet (bass clarinet), violin, contrabass, harp, vibraphone (tam-tam), mandolin, and guitar ], from Trieste, or Three Poems by James Joyce, no. 3, Amsterdam, Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Michael Murray , "Nightpiece", 2004 [ soprano, horn, and piano ], from The Wild Winds Weep, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Aribert Reimann (b. 1936), "Nightpiece", 1992 [ soprano and piano ], confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Nocturne", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Nachtstück", copyright © 2014, (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: 18
Word count: 73
Nachtstück
Language: German (Deutsch) after the English
Fahl aus der Finsternis
flackern verblassender Sterne Fackeln
von Wolken verhangen.
Geisternde Lichter aus Himmels fernen Rändern erleuchten matt,
Bögen auf Himmelsgewölben,
das sündenschwarze Kirchenschiff der Nacht.
Seraphim,
die verlorenen Heerscharen erwachen
zum Gottesdienst bis
in mondloser Düsternis ein jeder leiser wird, schweigt,
wenn sie erhoben hat das Weihrauchfass
und es geschwenkt.
Und lang und laut
ins Kirchenschiff der Nacht aufstrebend
erschallt die Sternenglocke,
während der bleiche Weihrauch steigt, Wolke für Wolke,
in die Leere aus der Nichtigkeit
anbetender Seelen.
Text Authorship:
Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2014-09-15
Line count: 18
Word count: 80