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O solitude, my sweetest choice! Places devoted to the night, Remote from tumult and from noise, How ye my restless thoughts delight! O solitude, my sweetest choice! O heav'ns! what content is mine To see these trees, which have appear'd From the nativity of time, And which all ages have rever'd, To look today as fresh and green As when their beauties first were seen. O, how agreeable a sight These hanging mountains do appear, Which th' unhappy would invite To finish all their sorrows here, When their hard fate makes them endure Such woes as only death can cure. O, how I solitude adore! That element of noblest wit, Where I have learnt Apollo's lore, Without the pains to study it. For thy sake I in love am grown With what thy fancy does pursue; But when I think upon my own, I hate it for that reason too, Because it needs must hinder me From seeing and from serving thee. O solitude, O how I solitude adore!
About the headline (FAQ)
The first stanza comes from stanza 1 of the original French text; the second stanza comes from stanza 3, lines 5-10; and the third stanza comes from the final stanza of the original.
Text Authorship:
- by Katherine Philips (1631 - 1664) [an adaptation] [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Antoine Girard de Saint-Amant (1594 - 1661), "O folz des folz, et les folz mortelz hommes"
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "O solitude", 1955, published 1994 [ voice and piano ], a realization of the Purcell song. Confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Henry Purcell (1658/9 - 1695), "O solitude, my sweetest choice", Z. 406, published 1684/5 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Beate Binnig) , "Oh Einsamkeit, meine süßeste Wahl!", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-21
Line count: 28
Word count: 169
Oh Einsamkeit, meine süßeste Wahl! Der Nacht gewidmete Orte, Fern von Aufruhr und Lärm, Wie ihr meine rastlosen Gedanken erfreut! Oh Einsamkeit, meine süßeste Wahl! Oh Himmel! Wie zufrieden es mich macht Diese Bäume zu sehen, die erschienen sind zu Anbeginn der Zeit, Und die alle Zeitalter verehrt haben, Die heute noch so frisch und grün aussehen Wie damals, als ihre Schönheit zum ersten Mal erblickt wurde. Oh was für einen angenehmen Anblick Diese hängenden Gärten bieten, Die die Unglücklichen dazu einladen würden, allen ihren Sorgen hier ein Ende zu machen, Wenn ihr hartes Schicksal sie Qualen aushalten lässt, die nur der Tod kurieren kann. Oh, wie sehr ich die Einsamkeit liebe! Dieses Element vornehmster Geisteshaltung, wo ich die Weisheiten Apollos gelernt habe, Ohne die Mühsal des Studierens. Deinetwegen bin ich an Liebe gewachsen mit den von dir verfolgten Neigungen; Aber wenn ich selbst darüber nachdenke, Hasse ich es deshalb auch, Weil es mich daran hindern muss Dich zu sehen und dir zu dienen. Oh Einsamkeit, oh wie sehr ich dich liebe!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2019 by Beate Binnig, (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 Katherine Philips (1631 - 1664) [an adaptation]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Antoine Girard de Saint-Amant (1594 - 1661), "O folz des folz, et les folz mortelz hommes"
This text was added to the website: 2019-11-04
Line count: 28
Word count: 172