by T. S. (Thomas Stearns) Eliot (1888 - 1965)
Phlebas the Phoenician, a fortnight dead
Language: English
Our translations: ITA
Phlebas the Phoenician, a fortnight dead,
Forgot the cry of gulls, and the deep seas swell
And the profit and loss.
A current under sea
Picked his bones in whispers. As he rose and fell
He passed the stages of his age and youth
Entering the whirlpool.
Gentile or Jew
O you who turn the wheel and look to windward,
Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you.
About the headline (FAQ)
First published in Criterion, October 1922Text Authorship:
- by T. S. (Thomas Stearns) Eliot (1888 - 1965), no title, appears in The Waste Land , in 4. Death by Water [author's text checked 1 time 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 Sydney Burkinshaw (b. 1911), "Phlebas" [ baritone and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jani Christou (1926 - 1970), "Death by Water", 1955, orchestrated 1957 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Six T.S.Eliot songs for mezzo-soprano and piano, no. 3, also set in German [sung text not yet checked]
- by Donald MacInnis , "The Waste Land", 1957 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Flebas il fenicio", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-08-26
Line count: 10
Word count: 70