On a poet's lips I slept
Language: English
Our translations: CAT FRE
On a poet's lips I slept
Dreaming like a love-adept
In the sound his breathing kept;
Nor seeks nor finds he mortal blisses,
But feeds on the aëreal kisses
Of shapes that haunt thought's wildernesses.
He will watch from dawn to gloom
The lake-reflected sun illume
The yellow bees in the ivy-bloom,
Nor heed nor see, what things they be;
But from these create he can
Forms more real than living man,
Nurslings of immortality!
About the headline (FAQ)
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 Creighton Allen (1900 - 1969), "The poet's world", published 1928 [ medium voice or high voice, piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Sir Edward Cuthbert Bairstow (1874 - 1946), "On a poet's lips I slept", published 1929 [ SSA chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by (William) Havergal Brian (1876 - 1972), "On a poet's lips I slept", 1919 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "On a poet's lips I slept", op. 60 no. 1, from Nocturne for tenor solo, seven obligato instruments and string orchestra, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jean Coulthard (1908 - 2000), "On a poet's lips I slept ", 1972/3, from Songs for Enchantment, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "He dormit damunt els llavis d’un poeta", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Jean-Pierre Granger)
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 13
Word count: 75
He dormit damunt els llavis d’un poeta
Language: Catalan (Català) after the English
He dormit damunt els llavis d’un poeta,
somiant com un adepte de l’amor,
en el so que el seu respir mantenia;
ell no cerca ni troba benaurances mortals,
sinó que es nodreix de besades airívoles,
de figuracions que obsedeixen els ermots del pensament.
Ell contemplarà, des de l’alba fins a la foscor,
el llac il·luminat per el reflex del sol,
les daurades abelles en la floració de l’heura,
ell no escolta ni veu les coses tal com són,
sinó que d’aquestes podrà crear
formes més reals que un ésser vivent,
nodrissons de la immortalitat!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Catalan (Català) copyright © 2016 by Salvador Pila, (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: 2016-03-29
Line count: 13
Word count: 94
