by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873)
I told you, sir, they were red‑hot with...
Language: English
[I told you, sir, they were red-hot with drinking; So fun of valour that they smote the air For breathing in their faces, beat the ground For kissing of their feet; yet always bending Towards their project.]1 Then I beat my tabour, At which, like unbacked colts, they pricked their ears, Advanced their eyelids, lifted up their noses As they smelt music. So I charmed their ears [That calf-like they my lowing followed through Toothed briars, sharp furzes, pricking goss and thorns, Which entered their frail shins. At last I left them I'th' filthy-mantled pool beyond your cell, There dancing up to th' chins, that the foul lake O'er-stunk their feet]1.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 omitted by Saariaho.
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in The Tempest, Act IV, Scene 1 (Ariel) [author's text not yet checked 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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by Kaija Saariaho (1952 - 2023), "Ariel's Hail", 2000, published 2004? [ soprano, harp, and flute ], from The Tempest Songbook, no. 1
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo)
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Andrea Maffei) , no title, first published 1869
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-01-21
Line count: 14
Word count: 114
Je vous l’ai dit, seigneur, ils étaient...
Language: French (Français) after the English
Je vous l’ai dit, seigneur, ils étaient ivres-rouges : si pleins de valeur qu’ils frappaient l’air coupable de leur respirer à la face, et battaient la terre coupable de leur baiser les pieds ; du reste, toujours occupés de leur projet. Alors j’ai battu mon tambourin. À ce bruit, tels que des poulains indomptés, ils ont dressé l’oreille, haussé les paupières et levé le nez, comme s’ils flairaient la musique ; je les ai si bien charmés qu’ils ont suivi mon concert comme des veaux, à travers les ronces mordantes, les genêts pointus, les broussailles piquantes, et les épines qui entraient dans leurs frêles jarrets ; enfin, je les ai laissés dans la sale mare bourbeuse, derrière ta grotte, pataugeant jusqu’au menton pour dégager leurs pieds empuantés par l’affreux lac.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in The Tempest, Act IV, Scene 1 (Ariel)
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2015-09-19
Line count: 14
Word count: 126