by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)
Translation © by Guy Laffaille

A pity beyond all telling
Language: English 
Available translation(s): FRE IRI
A pity beyond all telling
Is hid in the heart of love:
The [folk]1 who are buying and selling,
The clouds on their journey above,
The cold, wet winds ever blowing,
And the shadowy hazel grove
Where mouse-grey waters are flowing
Threaten the head that I love.

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Grill: "folks"

Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "La pitié de l'amour", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • IRI Irish (Gaelic) [singable] (Gabriel Rosenstock) , "Trua an Ghrá", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2009-01-20
Line count: 8
Word count: 47

La pitié de l'amour
Language: French (Français)  after the English 
Une pitié au-delà de toute parole
Est cachée dans le cœur de l'amour :
Les gens qui achètent et vendent,
Les nuages dans leur voyage en haut,
Les vents froids et humides qui soufflent toujours,
Et le bosquet ombragé de noisetiers
Où les eaux gris souris coulent,
Menacent la tête que j'aime.

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.
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This text was added to the website: 2016-12-13
Line count: 8
Word count: 52