Θέλω λέγειν Ἀτρείδας, θέλω δὲ Κάδμον ἄιδειν, ὁ βάρβιτος δὲ χορδαῖς ἔρωτα μοῦνον ἠχεῖ. ἤμειψα νεῦρα πρώην καὶ τὴν λύρην ἅπασαν· κἀγὼ μὲν ἦιδον ἄθλους Ἡρακλέους, λύρη δέ ἔρωτας ἀντεφώνει. χαίροιτε λοιπὸν ἡμῖν, ἥρωες· ἡ λύρη γάρ μόνους ἔρωτας ἄιδει.
Note (provided by Peter Rastl): this text might not be by Anacreon but by a later imitator. See Anacreontea quæ dicuntur secundum levesquii collationem codicis palatini recensuit, strophis suis restituit, stephani notis integris, aliorum selectis suisque, illustravit Dr. Fridericus Mehlhorn, gymnasii evangelici glogaviensis archididascalus, Glogaviæ, in Libraria Nova Guenteriana, 1825 ; also see Albin Lesky, Geschichte der griechischen Literatur, 3rd edition, 1971, Bern und München, page 210.
Show a transliteration: DIN | ISO 843
Note on TransliterationsText Authorship:
- possibly by Anacreon (c582BCE - c485BCE), "Εις λυραν", appears in Odes, no. 1 [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 Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869), "Εις λυραν", 1815?, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Dutch (Nederlands), a translation by Carel Vosmaer (1826 - 1888) , "Op mijne lier" ; composed by Lodewijk Mortelmans.
- Also set in English, a translation by John Berkenhead, Sir (c1617 - 1679) ; composed by Henry Lawes.
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Auguste Lacaussade (1815 - 1897) , "Sur sa lyre", appears in Poésies, Les épaves ; composed by Angèle Blot.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Franz Seraph Ritter von Bruchmann (1798 - 1867) [an adaptation] ; composed by Paul Mirsch, Franz Peter Schubert.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Johann Heinrich Friedrich Meinecke (1745 - 1825) , "Die Leyer" ; composed by Carl Loewe.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Eduard Mörike (1804 - 1875) , "Verschiedener Krieg", appears in Anakreontische Lieder, no. 2 [an adaptation] ; composed by Fritz Franz Schieri.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CHI Chinese (中文) (Dr Huaixing Wang) , "竖琴", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Thomas Moore) , "Ode I", appears in Odes of Anacreon, no. 1, first published 1800 [an adaptation]
- FRE French (Français) (Ernest Falconnet) , "Sur sa lyre", first published 1847
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 40
Je veux chanter les Atrides, je veux aussi chanter Cadmus ; mais les cordes de ma lyre ne résonnent que pour l'amour. Je les ai d'abord changées, puis j'ai fait choix d'une autre lyre, et je célébrai les luttes d'Hercule ; mais ma lyre me répondait par un chant d'amour. Adieu donc, héros ! Adieu pour jamais ! Ma lyre ne peut chanter que les amours.
Text Authorship:
- by Ernest Falconnet (1815 - 1891), "Sur sa lyre", first published 1847 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Greek (Ελληνικά) possibly by Anacreon (c582BCE - c485BCE)
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-02-08
Line count: 12
Word count: 62