by William Blake (1757 - 1827)
O thou who passest thro' our valleys in
Language: English
Our translations: RUS
O thou who passest thro' our valleys in Thy strength, curb thy fierce steeds, allay the heat That flames from their large nostrils! thou, O Summer, Oft pitched'st here thy golden tent, and oft Beneath our oaks hast slept, while we beheld With joy thy ruddy limbs and flourishing hair. Beneath our thickest shades we oft have heard Thy voice, when noon upon his fervid car Rode o'er the deep of heaven; beside our springs Sit down, and in our mossy valleys, on Some bank beside a river clear, throw thy Silk draperies off, and rush into the stream: Our valleys love the Summer in his pride. Our bards are fam'd who strike the silver wire: Our youth are bolder than the southern swains: Our maidens fairer in the sprightly dance: We lack not songs, nor instruments of joy, Nor echoes sweet, nor waters clear as heaven, Nor laurel wreaths against the sultry heat.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "To Summer" [author's text not yet checked 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 William Henry Bell (1873 - 1946), "Summer", 1940, from Twelve Blake Songs, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Caspar J. Diethelm (b. 1926), "To Summer", op. 153 no. 2 (1977) [ mixed chorus a cappella ], from 5 Madrigale, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Charles William) Eric Fogg (1903 - 1939), "Summer", published 1931 [ chorus and orchestra ], from The Seasons, no. 2, London : Elkin & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Laurence Powell (1899 - 1990), "To Summer", op. 12 no. 2, published 1928 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from The Seasons, no. 2, London: J. Williams [sung text not yet checked]
- by Laurence Powell (1899 - 1990), "To Summer", published c1930 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], London: J. Williams [sung text not yet checked]
- by Godfrey Ridout (1918 - 1984), "Summer", 1979-80 [ tenor and piano quintet ], from The Seasons, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov (1948 - 2020), "To Summer", op. 28 no. 2, published 1979, first performed 1980 [ voice, flute, viola, and harp ], from The Seasons, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by John David White (b. 1931), "To Summer", first performed 1970 [ baritone, mixed chorus, and orchestra ], from Cantos of the Year, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by William Brocklesby Wordsworth (1908 - 1988), "To Summer", op. 33 no. 2, published 1948 [ medium voice and string trio ], from The Four Seasons, no. 2, London : A. Lengnick [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Vrchlický) , "Létu"
- RUS Russian (Русский) [singable] (Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov) , "К Лету", first published 1979, copyright ©, (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: 19
Word count: 154