by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)
If I can stop one heart from breaking
Language: English
If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain; If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain, Or help one fainting robin Unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain.
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Authorship
- by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Poems of Emily Dickinson, first published 1890 [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 Floy Little Bartlett (b. 1883), "I shall not live in vain", published 1915. [ sung text not verified ]
- by Gloria Coates (b. 1938), "If I can stop one heart from breaking", from 15 Songs on Poems by Emily Dickinson, no. 14. [ sung text verified 1 time]
- by Richard Hageman (1882 - 1966), "Charity", published 1921. [ sung text not verified ]
- by Jake Heggie (b. 1961), "I shall not live in vain", 1995, rev. 1998, first performed 1998. [mezzo-soprano, girls' chorus (SA), handbells, and piano] [ sung text not verified ]
- by John Brodbin Kennedy , "If I can stop one heart from breaking", published 1966 [SS chorus a cappella], from Sails, Robins, and Butterflies [ sung text not verified ]
- by Jitka Koželuhová (b. 1966), "I shall not live in vain", 1991-92, copyright © 1997 [soprano and piano], from Six Songs on Poems of Emily Dickinson, no. 1. [ sung text not verified ]
- by Lori Laitman (b. 1955), "If I...", 1996 [soprano or mezzo-soprano and piano], from Four Dickinson Songs, no. 4. [ sung text verified 1 time]
- by Otto Luening (1900 - 1996), "If I can stop one heart from breaking", published 1961 [medium voice and piano], from Songs to Poems of Emily Dickinson [ sung text not verified ]
- by Peter Christian Lutkin (1858 - 1931), "If I can stop one heart from breaking" [chorus], hymn ; note: has an optional stanza by Earl Marlatt (unavailable) [ sung text not verified ]
- by James G. MacDermid , "If I can stop one heart from breaking", published 1908. [ sung text not verified ]
- by Janie Alexander Patterson , "Not in vain", published 1944. [ sung text not verified ]
- by Vincent Persichetti (1915 - 1987), "Robin", op. 68 (Hymns and Responses) no. 3, published 1956. [ sung text not verified ]
- by Oley Speaks (1874 - 1948), "Charity", published 1911. [ sung text not verified ]
- by Earl Towner (1890 - ?), "Not in vain" [ sung text not verified ]
- by Joel Weiss , "If I can stop one heart from breaking", 2014 [mezzo-soprano and viola], from I Shall not Live in Vain, no. 5. [ sung text verified 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , appears in Kinder-Lieder, in 2. Lieder und Bilder aus der Natur, copyright © 2016, (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) , "Se riuscirò a impedire", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Last modified: 2014-06-16 10:01:26
Line count: 7
Word count: 41