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Across the darkened city The frosty searchlights creep Alert for the first marauder To steal upon our sleep. We see the sudden headlines Float on the muttering tide We hear them warn and threaten And wonder what they hide. There are whispers across tables, Talks in a shutter'd room. The price on which they bargain Will be a people's doom. There's a roar of war in the factories And idle hands on the street And Europe held in nightmare By the thud of marching feet. Now sinks the sun of surety, The shadows growing tall Of the big bosses plotting Their biggest coup of all. Is there no strength to save us? No power we can trust Before our lives and liberties Are powder'd into dust. Time to arise Democracy Time to rise up and cry That what our fathers fought for We'll not allow to die. Time to resolve divisions, Time to renew our pride, Time to decide Time to burst our house of glass. Rise as a single being In one resolve arrayed: Life shall be for the people That's by the people made.
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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 (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Advance Democracy", published 1938 [ chorus a cappella ], Boosey & Hawkes [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Endavant la democràcia", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2014-06-23
Line count: 36
Word count: 186
A través de l’obscura ciutat els freds reflectors llisquen en alerta per al primer intrús que ens tregui el son. Veiem els titulars instantanis flotar damunt la marea de murmuris, els sentim advertir i amenaçar i ens preguntem què oculten. Hi ha xiuxiueigs per les taules, converses en una estança amb les persianes tancades. El preu que ells negocien serà la perdició d’un poble. A les fàbriques hi ha un rugit de guerra i mans desocupades als carrers i Europa mantinguda en un malson per la remor de passos en marxa. Ara es pon el sol de la seguretat, s’acreixen les ombres dels grans patrons maquinant el més gran cop d’estat. No hi ha cap força per salvar-nos? Cap poder en el que podem confiar abans que les nostres vides i llibertats siguin reduïdes a pols. És hora de fer aixecar la democràcia és hora d’alçar-se i cridar, allò per el que lluitaren els nostres pares no ho deixarem pas morir. És hora de resoldre conflictes, és hora de restablir el nostre orgull, és hora de prendre decisions, és hora de fer esclatar la nostra casa de vidre. Ens alçarem com un sol ésser disposats en un mateix propòsit: la vida serà per al poble car per el poble fou feta.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Catalan (Català) copyright © 2024 by Salvador Pila, (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 Randall Carline Swingler (1909 - 1967)
This text was added to the website: 2024-06-08
Line count: 36
Word count: 211