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by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)
Translation © by Ferdinando Albeggiani
I'm nobody! Who are you?
Language: English
I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too? Then there's a pair of us - don't tell! They'd [banish us]1, you know. How dreary to be somebody! How public, like a frog To tell [your]2 name the livelong [day]3 To an admiring bog!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Bacon, G. Coates: "advertise"
2 Bacon, G. Coates: "one's"
3 Bacon, G. Coates: "June"
Text Authorship:
- by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Poems by Emily Dickinson, first published 1891 [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 Ernst Bacon (1898 - 1990), "I'm nobody", c1931, published 1931 [ soprano and piano ], from Songs from Emily Dickinson [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert F. Baksa (b. 1938), "I'm nobody", published 1977, from Emily Dickinson Songs, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ronald A. Beckett , "I'm nobody! Who are you?", 2008 [ voice and piano ], from I'm Nobody!, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Leonard Berkowitz (b. 1926), "I'm nobody", published 1968 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from Four Songs on Poems of Emily Dickinson, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gloria Coates (b. 1938), "I'm nobody", from 15 Songs on Poems by Emily Dickinson, no. 6 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Sharon Davis (b. 1937), "I'm nobody", published 1981 [ soprano and piano trio ], from Three Moods of Emily Dickinson [sung text not yet checked]
- by Emma Lou Diemer (b. 1927), "I'm nobody", 1996, published 2000, first performed 1997 [ voice and piano ], from Seven Somewhat Silly Songs, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Farwell (1872 - 1952), "I'm nobody! Who are you?", op. 108 (Ten Emily Dickinson Songs) no. 8 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ulf A. Grahn , "I'm nobody", published 1979 [ voice, piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jake Heggie (b. 1961), " I’m Nobody! Who are You?", first performed 2014 [ soprano, piano ], from Newer Every Day: Songs for Kiri, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Brian Holmes (b. 1946), "I'm nobody!" [ treble chorus and piano ], from Emily's Day, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by David Horowicz (b. 1960), "I'm nobody! Who are you?", 1988 [ soprano, viola, mandolin, guitar ], from Five songs on poems of Emily Dickinson, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Sergius Kagen (1909 - 1964), "I'm nobody", published 1950 [ soprano, piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Brodbin Kennedy , "I'm nobody", published 1966 [ SATB chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ezra Laderman (1924 - 2015), no title, published 1970 [ 2 narrators, piano, and orchestra ], from Magic Prison [sung text not yet checked]
- by Lori Laitman (b. 1955), "I'm nobody", 1996 [ soprano or mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Four Dickinson Songs, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Vincent Persichetti (1915 - 1987), "I'm nobody", op. 77 no. 2 (1957), published 1958, from Emily Dickinson Songs, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dennis Riley (1943 - 1999), "On life" [ SAB chorus and strings ], from Three little commentaries [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Siskind , "I'm nobody", 1987 [ soprano and piano ], from Some Epigrams, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Starer (1924 - 2001), "I'm nobody", published 1968 [ SSA chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gitta Steiner (1932 - 1990), "I'm nobody" [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from 4 Choruses of Emily Dickinson [sung text not yet checked]
- by Augusta Read Thomas (b. 1964), no title, 2006, first performed 2006 [ children's chorus (SA, SSA, or SSAA) and adult chorus (satb chorus, with div.) ], from Berkshire Songs, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Walter A. Aue) , "Ich bin ein Niemand! Wer bist Du?", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Io non sono nessuno, e tu?", copyright © 2006, (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: 8
Word count: 47
Io non sono nessuno, e tu?
Language: Italian (Italiano) after the English
Io non sono nessuno, e tu? Sei nessuno anche tu? Allora siamo nessuno in due -- ma non dirlo! Spargerebbero la voce, lo sai. Quanto è noioso essere Qualcuno! Che seccatura! Come una rana Che gracida il tuo nome -- tutto giugno - A un pantano ammirato.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2006 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Poems by Emily Dickinson, first published 1891
This text was added to the website: 2006-05-08
Line count: 8
Word count: 45