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by Philip Morin Freneau (1752 - 1832)
Translation by Anne Hunter (1742 - 1821)

The celebrated death song of Cherokee Indians
Language: English  after the English 
The sun sets in night, and the stars shun the day,
But glory remains when their lights fade away.
Begin, you tormentors! your threats are in vain,
For the son of Alknomook will never complain.

Remember the arrows he shot from his bow,
Remember your chiefs by his hatchet laid low.
Why so slow? do you wait till I shrink from the pain?
No; the son of Alknomook shall never complain.

Remember the wood where in ambush we lay,
And the scalps which we bore from your nation away.
Now the flame rises fast, you exult in my pain,
But the son of Alknomook can 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, to relieve me from pain:
And thy son, O Alknomook! has scorn'd to complain.

Text Authorship:

  • by Anne Hunter (1742 - 1821) [an adaptation]

Based on:

  • a text in English by Philip Morin Freneau (1752 - 1832), "The Death-Song of a Cherokee Indian"
    • Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Anne Hunter (1742 - 1821), "The celebrated death song of Cherokee Indians", published 1785? [ voice and piano ], London : Longman & Broderip [sung text checked 1 time]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2023-07-30
Line count: 16
Word count: 146

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