by Leopold Staff (1878 - 1957)
Translation © by Marek Tomaszewski

Zasnąłem i miałem sen
Language: Polish (Polski)  after the Arabic (العربية) 
Our translations:  ENG
Zasnąłem i miałem sen.
Śniłem, że wycieńczona karawana ciągnęła pustynią,
gdziem jej przewodził. I że bajeczne mamidło powstało przed nami.
I że mamidłem tym byłaś ty [sama]1
z jeziorami twych oczu i z sadami twego ciała.
I że rzuciłaś się ku mnie i że towarzysze moi zrozpaczeni
pokładli się, by umrzeć.
Wymówiłem właśnie twe imię by zacząć na nowo ten sen...
Niestety! nie widzi się nigdy dwa razy tego samego mamidła.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   G. Bacewicz 

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1 omitted by Bacewicz.

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

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • ENG English ( Marek Tomaszewski) , "The mirage", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 9
Word count: 72

The mirage
Language: English  after the Polish (Polski) 
I fell asleep and I had a dream.
I dreamt that an exhausted caravan trailed along the desert,
where I led it.  And that a fabulous mirage arose before us.
And that you [yourself] were this mirage
with lakes for eyes and with orchards for a body.
And that you rushed toward me, and that my desperate  comrades
Lay down to die.
I pronounced your name to start that dream from the beginning...
Alas! you never see the same mirage twice.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Polish (Polski) to English copyright © 2004 by Marek Tomaszewski, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.

    Marek Tomaszewski.  Contact: marektomaszewski (AT) poczta.onet.pl

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Based on:

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This text was added to the website: 2004-08-14
Line count: 9
Word count: 81