by James Macpherson (pretending to translate "Ossian") (1736 - 1796)
Translation by Auguste Lacaussade (1815 - 1897)
I sit by the mossy fountain
Language: English
Shilric: I sit by the mossy fountain, on the top of the hill of the winds. One tree is rustling above me. Dark waves roll over the heath. The lake is troubled below. The deer descend from the hill. No hunter at a distance is seen. It is mid-day: but all is silent. Sad are my thoughts alone. Didst thou but appear, O my love, a wanderer on the heath! thy hair floating on the wind behind thee; thy bosom heaving on the sight; thine eyes full of tears for thy friends, whom the mist of the hill had concealed. Thee I would comfort, my love, and bring thee to my father's house! But is it she that there appears, like a beam of light on the heath? bright as the moon in autumn, as the sun in a summer storm, comest thou, O maid, over rocks, over mountains to me. She speaks: but how weak her voice, like the breeze in the reeds of the lake. Vinvela: Returnest thou safe from the war? Where are thy friends, my love? I heard of thy death on the hill; I heard and mourned thee, Shilric! Shilric: Yes, my fair, I return; but I alone of my race. Thou shalt see them no more; their graves I raised on the plain. But why art thou on the desert hill? Why on the heath alone? Vinvela: Alone I am, O Shilric, alone in the winter-house. With grief for thee I fell. Shilric, I am pale in the tomb. Shilric: She fleets, she sails away, as mist before the wind! and, wilt thou not stay, Vinvela? Stay and behold my tears! fair thou appearest, Vinvela! fair thou wast, when alive! By the mossy fountain I will sit; on the top of the hill of winds. When mid-day is silent around, O talk with me Vinvela! come on the light-winged gale, on the breeze of the desert, come! Let me hear thy voice, as thou passest, when mid-day is silent around!
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with The Poems of Ossian. Translated by James Macpherson, Esq; Vol.I. A new edition, carefully corrected, and greatly improved. London, MDCCLXXIII, pages 58-59.
Text Authorship:
- by James Macpherson (pretending to translate "Ossian") (1736 - 1796), no title, appears in Carric-Thura [author's text checked 2 times 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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Edmund von Harold, Baron (1737 - 1808) , no title ; composed by Franz Peter Schubert.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Auguste Lacaussade) , no title, first published 1842
- GER German (Deutsch) (Edmund von Harold, Baron) , no title
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-06
Line count: 57
Word count: 331
Je suis assis sur la mousse de la...
Language: French (Français) after the English
SHILRIC. Je suis assis sur la mousse de la fontaine, sur le sommet de la colline des vents. Un arbre frémit au-dessus de moi ; des ondes sombres roulent sur la bruyère et plus bas le lac est troublé. Le chevreuil descend de la colline ; on ne voit aucun chasseur dans le lointain. C’est le milieu du jour, mais tout est silencieux. Je suis seul et mes pensées sont tristes. Tu n’as fait qu’apparaître, ô mon amour ! Tu errais sur la bruyère ; tes cheveux derrière toi flottaient sur la brise ; ton sein se gonflait à la vue et tes yeux étaient pleins de larmes pour tes compagnes que le brouillard de la colline avait cachées. Je voudrais te consoler, mon amour, et te ramener à la demeure de ton père ! Mais est-ce elle qui apparaît là-bas comme un rayon de lumière sur la plaine ? Brillante comme la lune en automne, comme le soleil dans un orage d’été ; sur les rochers et les montagnes, voles-tu vers moi, ô jeune fille ? Elle parle : mais que sa voix est faible ! ainsi la brise dans les roseaux du lac. VINVELA. Reviens-tu sans blessures de la guerre ? Où sont tes amis ? J’ai appris ta mort sur la colline ; je l’ai apprise et je t’ai pleuré, Shilric ! SHILRIC. Oui, je reviens, ô ma beauté, mais seul de ma race ! Tu ne les verras plus : j’ai élevé leurs tombeaux sur la plaine. Mais pourquoi es-tu sur la colline déserte, pourquoi seule sur la bruyère ? VINVELA. Seule je suis, ô Shilric ! seule dans la maison de l’hiver. J’ai succombé à ma douleur pour toi. Shilric, je suis pâle dans la tombe. SHILRIC. Elle s’envole, elle flotte au loin comme le brouillard devant la brise ! et ne veux-tu pas t’arrêter, Vinvela ? Arrête et vois mes larmes ! Belle tu fus pendant ta vie, belle tu m’apparais, ô Vinvela ! J’irai m’asseoir sur la mousse de la fontaine, sur le sommet de la colline des vents. Quand le milieu du jour sera muet alentour, viens, Vinvela, converser avec moi, viens sur la brise aux ailes légères, viens sur la brise du désert ! Fais-moi entendre ta voix en passant, quand le milieu du jour sera muet alentour !
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with James Macpherson, Ossian - Oeuvres complètes, translated by Auguste Lacaussade, Delloye, Paris, 1842, pages 27-29. Note: this is a prose text. Line breaks have been added.
Text Authorship:
- by Auguste Lacaussade (1815 - 1897), no title, first published 1842 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by James Macpherson (pretending to translate "Ossian") (1736 - 1796), no title, appears in Carric-Thura
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2019-11-08
Line count: 57
Word count: 359