Star of descending night! fair is thy light in the west! thou liftest thy unshorn head from thy cloud; thy steps are stately on thy hill. What dost thou behold in the plain? The stormy winds are laid. The murmur of the torrent comes from afar. Roaring waves climb the distant rock. The flies of evening are on their feeble wings; the hum of their course is on the field. What dost thou behold, fair light? But thou dost smile and depart. The waves come with joy around thee: they bathe thy lovely hair. Farewell, thou silent beam! Let the light of Ossian's soul arise!
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with James MacPherson, The Poems of Ossian, Volume I, Edinburgh: James Ballantyne, 1805, in The Songs of Selma, pages 451 - 453.
Text Authorship:
- by James Macpherson (pretending to translate "Ossian") (1736 - 1796), no title, appears in The Songs of Selma [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 German (Deutsch), a translation by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832) , no title, appears in Leiden des jungen Werther [novel] ; composed by Hans Georg Nägeli, Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Auguste Lacaussade) , no title, first published 1842
Researcher for this page: Melanie Trumbull
This text was added to the website: 2017-06-15
Line count: 16
Word count: 106
Étoile de la nuit qui descend, belle est ta lumière dans l’Occident ! tu lèves ta tête à la chevelure vierge sur ta nuée, et tes pas sont majestueux sur ta colline ! Que regardes tu dans la plaine ? les vents orageux se sont apaisés, et de loin arrive le murmure du torrent. Les vagues rugissantes escaladent les rochers éloignés. Les insectes du soir voltigent sur leurs faibles ailes et remplissent de leurs bourdonnements le silence de la plaine. Que regardes-tu, belle lumière ? Mais tu souris et tu t’en vas ! Les vagues avec joie viennent autour de toi ; elles baignent ta belle chevelure. Adieu, rayon silencieux ! Et toi, lève-toi, lumière de l’âme d’Ossian !
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with James Macpherson, Ossian - Oeuvres complètes, translated by Auguste Lacaussade, Delloye, Paris, 1842, page 110. 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 The Songs of Selma
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: 18
Word count: 112