by Philip Morin Freneau (1752 - 1832)
The Death‑Song of a Cherokee Indian
Language: English
The sun sets in night, and the stars shun the day, But glory remains when their lights fade away. Begin, ye tormentors: your threats are in vain, For the son of Alknomock can never complain. Remember the woods, where in ambush he lay, And the scalps which he bore from your nation away! Why do ye delay? ... 'till I shrink from my pain? Know the son of Alknomock can never complain. Remember the arrows he shot from his bow; Remember your chiefs by his hatchet laid low. The flame rises high, you exult in my pain, But the son of Alknomock will never complain. I go to the land where my father is gone: His ghost shall rejoice in the fame of his son. Death comes like a friend, he relieves me from pain, And thy son, Oh Alknomock, has scorn'd to complain.
Confirmed with Cyclopædia of American Literature, Evert A. Duyckinck and George L. Duyckinck, New York: Charles Scribner, 1856, page 341f.
Authorship:
- by Philip Morin Freneau (1752 - 1832), "The Death-Song of a Cherokee Indian" [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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, adapted by Anne Hunter (1742 - 1821) [an adaptation] ; composed by Anne Hunter.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2023-07-30
Line count: 16
Word count: 144