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Whispers of heavenly death murmur'd I hear, Labial gossip of night, sibilant chorals, Footsteps gently ascending, mystical breezes wafted soft and low, Ripples of unseen rivers, tides of a current flowing, forever flowing, (Or is it the plashing of tears? the measureless waters of human tears?) I see, just see skyward, great cloud-masses, Mournfully slowly they roll, silently swelling and mixing, With at times a half-dimm'd sadden'd far-off star, Appearing and disappearing. (Some parturition rather, some solemn immortal birth; On the frontiers to eyes impenetrable, Some soul is passing over.)
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Text Authorship:
- by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892), "Whispers of Heavenly Death", appears in Leaves of Grass [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 Ernst Bacon (1898 - 1990), "Whispers of heavenly death", alternate title: "Whispers", c1927, published 1930 [ voice and piano ], from Songs at Parting: A Selection of Walt Whitman's Poems, no. 7 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ernst Bacon (1898 - 1990), "On the frontier" [ mezzo-soprano and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Eugene MacDonald Bonner (1889 - 1983), "Whispers of heavenly death", published 1925 [ voice and piano or orchestra ], from Whispers of Heavenly Death, also set in French (Français) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Leonard Kastle (b. 1929), "Whispers of heavenly death", published 1956 [ SATB chorus and piano ad libitum ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Raymond Luedeke , "Whispers of heavenly death", 1974 [ duet for 2 sopranos with piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958), "Nocturne", 1925?, published 1925 [ voice and piano ], from Three Poems by Walt Whitman, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by David McKinley Williams (1887 - 1978), "Whispers of heavenly death", published 1934 [ alto, mixed chorus, and organ or orchestra ], anthem [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Léon Bazalgette (1873 - 1928) ; composed by Eugene MacDonald Bonner.
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Ahmed E. Ismail
This text was added to the website: 2004-06-27
Line count: 12
Word count: 90
J'entends des chuchotements d'une mort céleste murmurés, Bavardage labial de la nuit, chorals sifflants, Des pas qui montent doucement, brises mystiques qui flottent douces et basses, Rides de rivières invisibles, flux d'un courant qui coule, qui coule éternellement, (Ou est-ce le clapotis de larmes ? les eaux sans bornes des larmes humaines ?) Je vois, je vois juste dans le ciel, de grandes masses de nuages, Lugubrement ils déferlent lentement, en silence grossissant et se mêlant, Avec par instants une étoile lointaine attristée, à moitié effacée, Apparaissant et disparaissant. (Plutôt un enfantement, une naissance solennelle et immortelle ; Sur les frontières invisibles à l'œil, Une âme s'éteint.)
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Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2015 by Guy Laffaille, (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.
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Based on:
- a text in English by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892), "Whispers of Heavenly Death", appears in Leaves of Grass
This text was added to the website: 2015-07-27
Line count: 12
Word count: 105