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There I was in the midst of thousands, and yet a perfect stranger; without home and without friends, in the midst of thousands of my own brethren — children of a common Father, and yet I dared not to unfold to any one of them my sad condition. I was afraid to speak to any one for fear of speaking to the wrong one, and thereby falling into the hands of money-loving kidnappers, whose business it was to lie in wait for the panting fugitive, as the ferocious beasts of the forest lie in wait for their prey.
Authorship
- by Frederick Douglass (1818 - 1895), written 1845 [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)
- by Jake Heggie (b. 1961), "In the midst of thousands", first performed 2018 [soprano, piano], from These Strangers, no. 2. [ sung text verified 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Au milieu de milliers", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2018-03-15
Line count: 8
Word count: 98
J'étais là au milieu de milliers et pourtant un parfait étranger ; sans maison et sans amis, au milieu de milliers de mes frères, enfants d'un père commun, et pourtant je n'osais pas dévoiler à aucun d'eux ma triste condition. J'avais peur de parler à quiconque par crainte de parler à la mauvaise personne, et par là de tomber aux mains de kidnappeurs aimant l'argent, dont le travail est de se cacher en attendant le fugitif haletant comme les bêtes féroces se cachent en attendant leur proie.
Authorship
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2018 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:
- a text in English by Frederick Douglass (1818 - 1895), written 1845
This text was added to the website: 2018-03-15
Line count: 8
Word count: 87