The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone In the ranks of death you'll find him; His father's sword he [has]1 girded on, And his wild harp slung behind him. "Land of Song", said the warrior bard, "Tho' all the world betrays thee, One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard, One faithful harp shall praise thee". The Minstrel fell! but the foeman's chain Could not bring that proud soul under, The harp he lov'd ne'er spoke again, For he tore its chords asunder; And said, "No chains shall sully thee, Thou soul of love and brav'ry! Thy songs were made for the pure and free, They shall never sound in slav'ry".
V. Herbert sets stanza 1
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Note: some settings of this text use a third verse written by an unknown author during the American Civil War, found here.
1 Herbert: "hath"Text Authorship:
- by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), "The Minstrel Boy", appears in Irish Melodies [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 (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "The Minstrel Boy" [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Victor Herbert (1859 - 1924), "The Minstrel Boy", first performed 1908, stanza 1 [ voice and piano ], from The Bards of Ireland, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Cyril Meir Scott (1879 - 1970), "Minstrel Boy", published 1922 [ voice and piano ], London: Elkin [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Andrew Stevenson (1761 - 1833), "The Minstrel-Boy" [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Swedish (Svenska), a translation by Carl Rupert Nyblom (1832 - 1907) , "Den unge Barden", appears in Irländska Melodier af Thomas Moore ; composed by Ivar Hallström.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le jeune ménestrel", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Ernst Eckstein) , "Der Sängerknab'", subtitle: "(Nach dem Englischen des Thomas Moore.)", appears in In Moll und Dur, in 3. Dritte Abtheilung
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 113
Den unge Barden i kriget går, På dödens vågor han gungar; Omgjordad med fädernesvärdet han står Och sin harpa på skuldran slungar. "O, sångens land! om än verlden all Förrådde dig," -- klingar hans visa -- "Ett svärd din rätt dock skydda skall, En trogen harpa dig prisa." Och Barden föll, -- men bojor och band Ej den stolte anden betvinga. Hans harpa är stum, ty med egen hand Han lät hennes strängar springa. "Du skall af kedjor ej fläckad bli, Du ärans och kärlekens tunga! Din sång var skapad för själ, som är fri, Bland slafvar du aldrig skall sjunga!"
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Irländska Melodier af Thomas Moore. Öfversatta af Carl Rupert Nyblom, Upsala, Wahlström, 1858, page 83.
Text Authorship:
- by Carl Rupert Nyblom (1832 - 1907), "Den unge Barden", appears in Irländska Melodier af Thomas Moore [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), "The Minstrel Boy", appears in Irish Melodies
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ivar Hallström (1826 - 1901), "Den unge Barden No. 1", 1857 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2022-09-04
Line count: 16
Word count: 99