by
James Joyce (1882 - 1941)
On the beach at Fontana
Language: English
Available translation(s): CHI FRE GER
Wind whines and whines the shingle,
The crazy pierstakes groan;
A senile sea numbers each single
Slimesilvered stone.
From whining wind and colder
Grey sea I wrap him warm
And touch his trembling fineboned shoulder
And boyish arm.
Around us fear, descending
Darkness of fear above
And in my heart how deep unending
Ache of love!
First published in
Poetry, November 1917.
Text 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 Lorne M. Betts (b. 1918), "On the beach at Fontana", 1952 [ voice and piano ], from Five Songs (1952) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bill Hopkins (b. 1943), "On the beach at Fontana", published 1967 [ soprano, bass clarinet, trumpet, viola, harp ], from Two Poems, no. 2, London, Universal Edition [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jack Marius Jarrett (b. 1934), "On the beach at Fontana", 1964 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], from The Unquiet Heart [sung text not yet checked]
- by Geert van Keulen (b. 1943), "On the beach at Fontana", 1943, published 1984, rev. 1984 [ soprano, flute (alto flute and piccolo), clarinet (bass clarinet), violin, contrabass, harp, vibraphone (tam-tam), mandolin, and guitar ], from Trieste, or Three Poems by James Joyce, no. 1, Amsterdam, Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Roger Sessions (1896 - 1985), "On the beach at Fontana", 1929, published 1933 [ high voice and piano ], from The Joyce Book, no. 6 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CHI Chinese (中文) (Dr Huaixing Wang) , "丰塔纳的海滩上", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Sur la plage à Fontana", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Am Strand von Fontana", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Barbara Miller
This text was added to the website: 2005-01-13
Line count: 12
Word count: 56
Sur la plage à Fontana
Language: French (Français) after the English
Le vent gémit et les galets gémissent,
Les pieux fous de la jetée grognent;
Une mer sénile compte chaque unique
Pierre de vase argentée.
Du vent qui gémit et de la mer
Plus froide et grise je l'enveloppe au chaud
Et je touche son épaule tremblante et à l'os fin
Et son bras de petit garçon.
Autour de nous la peur, descendant
Une obscurité de peur sur nous
Et dans mon cœur combien profonde et sans fin
La douleur de l'amour !
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2009 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2009-11-09
Line count: 12
Word count: 82