by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)
Translation by Adolf Böttger (1815 - 1870)
We sat down and wept by the waters
Language: English
We sat down and wept by the waters Of Babel, and thought of the day When our foe in the hue of his slaughters Made Salem's high places his prey; And ye, oh her desolate daughters! Were scatter'd all weeping away. While sadly we gazed on the river Which roll'd on in freedom below, They demanded the song: but oh Never that triumph the stranger shall know! May this right hand be wither'd for ever Ere it string our high harp for the foe! On the willow that harp is suspended, Oh Salem! its sound should be free; And the hour when thy glories were ended But left me that token of thee: And ne'er shall its soft tones be blended With the voice of the spoiler by me!
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Text Authorship:
- by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 14, first published 1815 [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):
- by Alexander Lee (1802 - 1851), "By the waters of Babylon", published 1851 [ vocal duet with piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by B. L. Moseley , "By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept", published 1875 [ voice and piano ], also set in German, translation by Friedrich Marc [sung text not yet checked]
- by Isaac Nathan (1790 - 1864), "We sate down and wept by the waters", published 1815 [ voice and piano ], from A Selection of Hebrew Melodies No. I, no. 14 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Bryceson Treharne (1879 - 1948), "By Babel's stream", published 1944 [ three-part women's chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810 - 1876), "By the rivers of Babylon", published c1834 [ soprano or tenor and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Franz Theremin (1780 - 1846) , "An den Wassern zu Babel", appears in Hebräische Gesänge, first published 1820 ; composed by M. Henle, Carl Loewe.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Ferruccio Busoni.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Adolf Böttger (1815 - 1870) ; composed by Carl Georg Peter Grädener.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Alexis Paulin Pâris) , "Sur les rives de Babylone nous nous assîmes et pleurâmes", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 14
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 129
Wir sassen am Wasser in Thränen
Language: German (Deutsch) after the English
Wir saßen am Wasser in Tränen bei Babel und dachten den Tag, wo den Schlächtern, den Feindes-Hyänen die Feste von Salem erlag, und die Töchter, gleich trauernden Schwänen, zerstreute der grässliche Schlag. Da traurig wir sah'n in den Schimmer des Stromes, den Freiheit verklärt; verlangt' man ein Lied, doch o nimmer wird Feinden die Ehre gewährt! Eh' welke die Rechte für immer, eh' über die Harfe sie fährt! Die Harfe wollen wir hängen hier unter den Weiden am Strand. Frei bleib' sie mit ihren Gesängen, o Salem, dein einziges Pfand; nie soll sie ertönen in Klängen den Räubern vom heiligen Land!
Text Authorship:
- by Adolf Böttger (1815 - 1870) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 14, first published 1815
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Carl Georg Peter Grädener (1812 - 1883), "Wir sassen am Wasser in Thränen", op. 15 no. 5, published 1886 [ duet for 2 female voices with piano ], from Hebräische Gesänge von Lord Byron, no. 5, Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website: 2020-06-09
Line count: 18
Word count: 101