by Wilfred Owen (1893 - 1918)
Translation by John Greer (b. 1954)
Song of songs
Language: English  after the English
Sing me at dawn but only with your laugh: Like sprightly Spring that laugheth into leaf; Like Love, that cannot flute for smiling at Life. Sing me at dawn... Sing to me only with your speech all day, As voluble leaflets do. Let viols die. The least word of your lips is melody. Sing me at dusk, but only with your sigh; Like lifting seas it solaceth: breathe so, All voicelessly, the sense that no songs say. Sing me at midnight with your murmurous heart; And let its moaning like a chord be heard Surging, surging through you and sobbing unsubdued.
Text Authorship:
- by John Greer (b. 1954), "Song of songs" [an adaptation] [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Wilfred Owen (1893 - 1918), "Song of songs"
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by John Greer (b. 1954), "Song of songs", from Sing me at midnight, no. 5 [ sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-08-15
Line count: 12
Word count: 101