Vinvela: My love is a son of the hill. He pursues the flying deer. His grey dogs are panting around him; his bow-string sounds in the wind. Dost thou rest by the fount of the rock, or by the noise of the mountain-stream? the rushes are nodding to the wind, the mist flies over the hill. I will approach my love unseen; I will behold him from the rock. Lovely I saw thee first by the aged oak of Branno; thou wert returning tall from the chase; the fairest among thy friends. Shilric: What voice is that I hear? that voice like the summer wind! I sit not by the nodding rushes; I hear not the fount of the rock. Afar Vinvela, afar, I go to the wars of Fingal. My dogs attend me no more. No more I tread the hill. No more from on high I see thee, fair-moving by the stream of the plain; bright as the bow of heaven; as the moon on the western wave. Vinvela: Then thou art gone, O Shilric! I am alone on the hill! The deer are seen on the brow; void of fear they graze along. No more they dread the wind, no more the rustling tree. The hunter is far removed; he is in the field of graves. Strangers! sons of the waves! spare my lovely Shilric! Shilric: If fall I must in the field, raise high my grave, Vinvela. Grey stones and heaped-up earth, shall mark me to future times. When the hunter shall sit by the mound, and produce his food at noon, "Some warrior rests here," he will say; and my fame shall live in his praise. Remember me, Vinvela, when low on earth I lie! Vinvela: Yes! I will remember thee; alas! my Shilric will fall! What shall I do, my love! when thou art for ever gone? Through these hills I will go at noon: I will go through the silent heath. There I will see the place of thy rest, returning from the chase. Alas! my Shilric will fall; but I will remember Shilric.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with The Poems of Ossian. Translated by James Macpherson, Esq; Vol.I. A new edition, carefully corrected, and greatly improved. London, MDCCLXXIII, pages 55-57.
Text Authorship:
- by James Macpherson (pretending to translate "Ossian") (1736 - 1796), no title, appears in Carric-Thura  [author's text checked 2 times 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 Edmund von Harold, Baron (1737 - 1808) , no title ; composed by Franz Peter Schubert.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Auguste Lacaussade) , no title, first published 1842
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2004-01-18
Line count: 61
Word count: 346
VINVELA. Mon amour est un fils de la colline ; il poursuit le chevreuil léger. Ses chiens gris et haletants sont autour de lui et son arc résonne dans la brise. Reposes-tu près de la source du rocher, ou près du bruit du torrent de la montagne ? Les joncs balancent leurs têtes au vent et le brouillard vole sur la colline. J’approcherai de mon amour sans être vue ; du rocher, je le contemplerai. Charmant, je te vis pour la première fois près du vieux chêne de Branno ; tu revenais majestueux de la chasse ; le plus beau parmi tes amis. SHILRIC. Quelle voix entends-je ? Cette voix est semblable à la brise de l'été. Je ne suis point assis près des joncs ondoyants : je n’entends pas la source du rocher. Loin, Vinvela, bien loin, je vais aux guerres de Fingal. Mes chiens ne me suivent plus ; je ne marche plus sur la colline. Je ne te vois plus du haut du rocher errer gracieuse près du torrent de la plaine, brillante comme l’arc du ciel, comme la lune sur les vagues de l’occident. VINVELA. Tu t’es donc en allé, ô Shilric, et je suis seule sur la colline ! sur le sommet on voit les chevreuils : ils paissent sans crainte et ne s’effraient plus de la brise ni de l'arbre qui frémit. Le chasseur est absent ; il est loin, bien loin, dans le champ des tombeaux. Étrangers, fils des vagues, épargnez mon beau Shilric ! SHILRIC. Si je dois succomber sur le champ des batailles, élève ma tombe, ô Vinvela ! quelques pierres grisâtres, de la terre amoncelée, me rappelleront aux siècles futurs. Quand le voyageur viendra s’asseoir près de ce tertre pour prendre son repas à midi, « quelque guerrier repose ici, » dira-t-il, et ma gloire vivra dans sa louange. Souviens-toi de moi, Vinvela, quand je serai couché dans la terre ! VINVELA. Oui, je me souviendrai de toi ! Hélas ! mon Shilric succombera ! Que ferai-je, mon amour, quand tu seras parti pour toujours ? Sur ces collines j’errerai à midi ; j’irai sur cette bruyère silencieuse. Là, je verrai la place de ton repos, quand tu revenais de la chasse. Hélas ! mon Shilric succombera ; mais je me souviendrai de Shilric ! »
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with James Macpherson, Ossian - Oeuvres complètes, translated by Auguste Lacaussade, Delloye, Paris, 1842, pages 26-27. 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 Carric-Thura
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: 61
Word count: 359