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by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)
Translation © by Guy Laffaille
If I can stop one heart from breaking
Language: English
If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain; If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain, Or help one fainting robin Unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Poems of Emily Dickinson, first published 1890 [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 Floy Little Bartlett (b. 1883), "I shall not live in vain", published 1915 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ronald A. Beckett , "If I can stop one heart from breaking", 2008 [ voice and piano ], from I'm Nobody!, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gloria Coates (b. 1938), "If I can stop one heart from breaking", from 15 Songs on Poems by Emily Dickinson, no. 14 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Richard Hageman (1881 - 1966), "Charity", published 1921 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork (b. 1941), "In vain", 1993 [ soprano and piano ], from Three Simple Songs, no. 1, from Summer. Life. Song. -- 2. Life Songs, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jake Heggie (b. 1961), "I shall not live in vain", 1995, rev. 1998, first performed 1998 [ mezzo-soprano, girls' chorus (SA), handbells, and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Brodbin Kennedy , "If I can stop one heart from breaking", published 1966 [ SS chorus a cappella ], from Sails, Robins, and Butterflies [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jitka Koželuhová (b. 1966), "I shall not live in vain", 1991-92, copyright © 1997 [ soprano and piano ], from Six Songs on Poems of Emily Dickinson, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Lori Laitman (b. 1955), "If I...", 1996 [ soprano or mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Four Dickinson Songs, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Otto Luening (1900 - 1996), "If I can stop one heart from breaking", published 1961 [ medium voice and piano ], from Songs to Poems of Emily Dickinson [sung text not yet checked]
- by Peter Christian Lutkin (1858 - 1931), "If I can stop one heart from breaking" [ chorus ], hymn ; note: has an optional stanza by Earl Marlatt (unavailable) [sung text not yet checked]
- by James G. MacDermid , "If I can stop one heart from breaking", published 1908 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Janie Alexander Patterson , "Not in vain", published 1944 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Vincent Persichetti (1915 - 1987), "Robin", op. 68 (Hymns and Responses) no. 3, published 1956 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Oley Speaks (1874 - 1948), "Charity", published 1911 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Earl Towner (1890 - ?), "Not in vain" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Joel Weiss , "If I can stop one heart from breaking", 2014 [ mezzo-soprano and viola ], from I Shall not Live in Vain, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , appears in Kinder-Lieder, in 2. Lieder und Bilder aus der Natur, copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Se riuscirò a impedire", copyright © 2009, (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: 7
Word count: 41
Si je peux arrêter un Cœur de se briser
Language: French (Français) after the English
Si je peux arrêter un Cœur de se briser Je ne vivrai pas en vain Si je peux soulager la Douleur d'une Vie Ou apaiser une Souffrance Ou aider un Merle évanoui À regagner son Nid à nouveau Je ne vivrai pas en vain.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translation of title "If I can stop one heart from breaking" = "Si je peux arrêter un Cœur de se briser"Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2016 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Poems of Emily Dickinson, first published 1890
This text was added to the website: 2016-04-13
Line count: 7
Word count: 44