Impetuous heart, be still, be still
Language: English
Impetuous heart, be still, be still,
Your sorrowful love can never be told;
Cover it up with a lonely tune.
He that could bend all things to His will
Has covered the door of the infinite fold
With the pale stars and the wandering moon.
Shut to the door before the night has fallen,
For who can say what walks, or in what shape
Some devilish creature flies in the air, but now
Two grey-horned owls hooted above our heads.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with W. B. Yeats, Poems, T. Fisher, London, 1901, page 19.
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 Hugo Kauder (1888 - 1972), "Aleel's song", copyright © 1974 [ soprano or tenor, horn, and harp or piano ], from 2 Songs, no. 1, Southern Music Company [sung text not yet checked]
- by Elizabeth Maconchy (1907 - 1994), "Impetuous heart, be still", 1924 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-10-05
Line count: 10
Word count: 80
Cœur impétueux, sois calme, sois calme
Language: French (Français) after the English
Cœur impétueux, sois calme, sois calme,
Tu ne pourras jamais exprimer ton triste amour ;
Recouvre-le d'une morne mélodie.
Celui qui pourrait fléchir toute chose selon Sa volonté
A recouvert la porte de l'enclos infini
Avec les pâles étoiles et la lune vagabonde.
Ferme la porte avant que soit tombée la nuit,
Car qui peut dire qui passe, ou sous quelle forme
Quelle créature démoniaque vole dans les airs, mais à présent
Deux hiboux aux cornes grises ont ululé au-dessus de nos têtes.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2016 by Pierre Mathé, (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:
This text was added to the website: 2016-01-04
Line count: 10
Word count: 82