by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852)
Translation by Juljan Korsak (1807 - 1855)
As a beam o'er the face of the waters...
Language: English
As a beam o'er the face of the waters may glow While the tide runs in darkness and coldness below, So the cheek may be tinged with a warm sunny smile, Though the cold heart to ruin runs darkly the while. One fatal remembrance, one sorrow that throws Its bleak shade alike o'er our joys and our woes, To which life nothing darker or brighter can bring, For which joy has no balm and affliction no sting -- Oh! this thought in the midst of enjoyment will stay, Like a dead, leafless branch in the summer's bright ray; The beams of the warm sun play round it in vain; It may smile in his light, but it blooms not again.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), no title [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 Polish (Polski), a translation by Juljan Korsak (1807 - 1855) , "Melodija irlandzka" ; composed by Ignazy Komorowski.
- Also set in Swedish (Svenska), a translation by Carl Rupert Nyblom (1832 - 1907) , "Ett minne", appears in Irländska Melodier af Thomas Moore ; composed by Ivar Hallström, Frithiof Hertzman.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2022-09-05
Line count: 12
Word count: 119
Nieraz na licach wody promień słońca...
Language: Polish (Polski) after the English
Nieraz na licach wody promień słońca świeci, Choć spodem ciemna, zimna fala wre i pieni; Nieraz uśmiech słoneczny twarz nam opromieni, Choć już serce zbyt chłodne w przepaść zguby leci. Gdy jedna troska, jedno złowrogie wspomnienie, Rzuci swój cień na nasze szczęście, jak niedolę; Dla której, gdy nam duszę długie zdrętwią bole, Rozkosz nie jest balsamem, ni żartem cierpienie. O! ta myśl pośród uciech, jak schorzałe zbytnie Latem bezlistne drzewo, świeci nie wesoło! Próżno promienie słońca nad niém lśnią około, Uśmiechnie się w ich blasku, lecz już nie odkwitnie.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Poezije Juliana Korsaka, St. Petersburg, Nakładem autora, Drukiem Karola Kraya, 1830, page 109.
Text Authorship:
- by Juljan Korsak (1807 - 1855), "Melodija irlandzka" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), no title
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ignazy Komorowski (1824 - 1857), "Melodja (Moore)", published c1910 [ voice and piano ], from 9 śpiewów, no. 3, from Śpiewy polskie : z towarzyszeniem fortepianu, no. 23, Warszawa : Gebethner i Wolff [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2025-01-07
Line count: 12
Word count: 89