Whether on Ida's shady brow,
Or in the chambers of the East,
The chambers of the sun, that now
From ancient melody have ceas'd;
Whether in Heav'n ye wander fair,
Or the green corners of the earth,
Or the blue regions of the air,
Where the melodious winds have birth;
Whether on crystal rocks ye rove,
Beneath the bosom of the sea
Wand'ring in many a coral grove,
Fair Nine, forsaking Poetry!
How have you left the ancient love
That bards of old enjoy'd in you!
The languid strings do scarcely move!
The sound is forc'd, the notes are few!
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Granville Ransome Bantock, Sir (1868 - 1946), "To the Muses", published 1912 [ women's chorus a cappella ], from Three Blake Poems, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hayg Boyadjian (b. 1938), "To the Muses", 1978 [ soprano, flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, cello and bass ], from Song Cycle on Poems of William Blake, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Edwin James Nairn Carr (b. 1926), "To the Muses", 1952 [ 2-part children's chorus and small orchestra, harp, and piano ], from A Blake Cantata, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ivor (Bertie) Gurney (1890 - 1937), "To the Muses", c1921-1922 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Schwartz (1907 - 1999), "To the Muses", 196-? [ voice and piano ], from Blake Songs, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov (1948 - 2020), "To the Muses", op. 32 no. 2, published 1981, rev. 2003, first performed 1986 [ voice and organ ], from Fearful symmetry, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov (1948 - 2020), "To the Muses", op. 32a no. 2, published 1981, rev. 2003, first performed 1986 [ voice and piano ], from Fearful symmetry, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Robert Michael Spearing (b. 1950), "Whether on Ida's shady brow ", 1976, first performed 1976 [ baritone, SATB chorus, and small orchestra ], from Visions of William Blake, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- RUS Russian (Русский) [singable] (Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov) , "К Музам", copyright © 1981, (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: 16
Word count: 100
Pod zatenënnym Idy sklonom
Il' v kuščach solnečnoj strany
Už ne upit'sja nežnym zvonom
Melodij davnej stariny.
Gde vy, plenitel'nye devy –
Taites' v sumračnych lesach,
Il' vaši sladkie napevy
Laskajut veter v nebesach?
Byt' možet skaly poljubili,
Ili viljajuščich meduz,
Il' o Poėzii zabyli
V inych zabotach devjat' Muz?
Oni ljubov'ju ne pylajut,
Kak v pesnjach bardov stariny –
Liš' struny chilye brjacajut,
I rifmy skvernye bedny!