by
Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)
Why ‑‑ do they shut me out of Heaven?
Language: English
Available translation(s): CAT FRE GER ITA
Why -- do they shut me out of Heaven?
Did I sing -- too loud?
But -- I can sing a little minor,
Timid as a bird.
Wouldn't the angels try me --
just -- once -- more --
Just -- see -- if I troubled them --
But don't -- shut the door!
Oh if I -- were the Gentlemen
in the White [Robe]1
and they -- were the little Hand -- that knocked --
Could -- I -- forbid?
Why do they shut me out of Heaven?
Did I sing too loud?
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Copland: "Robes"
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 Aaron Copland (1900 - 1990), "Why do they shut me out of Heaven?", 1949-50, published 1951 [ voice, piano ], from Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Juliana Hall (b. 1958), "Why -- do they shut me out of Heaven", 1999, first performed 2001 [ soprano and piano ], from Paradise - 7 songs for Soprano and Piano, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Irwin Heilner (b. 1908), "Poem", 1930, rev. 1972 [ medium voice, piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Per què m’han tancat les portes del cel?", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Pourquoi m'ont-ils fermé la porte du ciel", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , copyright © 2010, (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: 14
Word count: 77
Pourquoi m'ont‑ils fermé la porte du ciel
Language: French (Français)  after the English
Pourquoi m'ont-ils fermé la porte du ciel
Ai-je chanté trop fort ?
Mais je peux chanter tout doucement
Timide comme un oiseau.
Les anges ne voudraient-ils pas
Me laisser essayer encore une fois
Juste pour voir si je les dérange ?
Mais ne fermez pas la porte.
Oh si j'étais les messieurs
Dans les robes blanches
Et s'ils étaient la petite main qui frappe,
Pourrais-je refuser ?
Pourquoi m'ont-ils fermé la porte du ciel
Ai-je chanté trop fort ?
Authorship:
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2008 by Guy Laffaille, (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.
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Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2008-11-09
Line count: 14
Word count: 79