The Thames nocturne of blue and gold Changed to a Harmony in grey: A barge with ochre-coloured hay Dropt from the wharf: and chill and cold The yellow fog came creeping down The bridges, till the houses' walls Seemed changed to shadows, and S. Paul's Loomed like a bubble o'er the town. Then suddenly arose the clang Of waking life; the streets were stirred With country waggons: and a bird Flew to the glistening roofs and sang. But one pale woman all alone, The daylight kissing her wan hair, Loitered beneath the gas lamps' flare, With lips of flame and heart of stone.
About the headline (FAQ)
Note: sometimes titled "Impression du Matin"; also the 'e' at the end of "nocturne" in line one is sometimes omitted.Authorship:
- by Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900), "Impression de Matin", from World (March 1881), revised same year and also in 1895 [author's text not yet checked 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 Charles Tomlinson Griffes (1884 - 1920), "Impression du matin", A. 39 (1915), published c1970 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], from Four Impressions, no. 2 [ sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Dezső Kosztolányi) , "Impression du matin"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 103
A kékes-arany éji Themze bús szürke leplét veszi fel: okker-sárga szénát cipel egy bárka: hűsen permetez le a sárga köd a hidak ormán, a házak rajza szétfolyó, úgy leng, mint egy szappangolyó szent Pál kupolája mogorván. Már az élet zaja rikoltoz, rázkódnak a parasztkocsik: egy kis madárka dalol itt a fényes háztetőn és mosolyt hoz. Csak egy sápadt nő jön suhanva, hajára a nap rácsorog, a gázláng alatt ácsorog, s a szíve kő és láng az ajka.
Authorship:
- by Dezső Kosztolányi (1885 - 1936), "Impression du matin" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900), "Impression de Matin", from World (March 1881), revised same year and also in 1895
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: Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2019-07-21
Line count: 16
Word count: 77