by
John Clare (1793 - 1864)
When once the sun sinks in the west
Language: English
Available translation(s): DUT GER
When once the sun sinks in the west,
And dew-drops pearl the Evening's breast;
Almost as pale as moonbeams are,
Or its companionable star,
The Evening Primrose opes anew
Its delicate blossoms to the dew;
And hermit-like, shunning the light,
Wastes its fair bloom upon the Night;
Who, blindfold to its fond caresses,
Knows not the beauty he possesses.
Thus it blooms on while Night is by;
When Day looks out with open eye,
'Bashed at the gaze it cannot shun,
It faints, and withers, and is gone.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with The Rural Muse : Poems by John Clare, London, Whittaker, 1835, page 137.
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Pauline Kroger) , "De teunisbloem", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Bertram Kottmann) , "Nachtkerzen", copyright © 2013, (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: 88
De teunisbloem
Language: Dutch (Nederlands)  after the English
Als eenmaal de zon weer ter kimme neigt,
en de avond een paarlen dauwketting krijgt;
Dan, schier zo bleek als maneschijn,
of begeleidend sterrenlicht kan zijn,
Toont de teunisbloem haar bloesem weer
geopend aan de dauw zo teer;
En schuw als een heremiet voor licht
Houdt ze haar bloem tot de nacht gericht;
Die als geblinddoekt voor haar tederheid
onwetend van haar schoonheid blijft;
Zo bloeit ze maar voort tijdens de nacht;
En als de dag weer kijkt met volle kracht
verbleekt ze, ze kan hem niet ongaan,
die blik, ze verwelkt en is vergaan.
Authorship:
- Translation from English to Dutch (Nederlands) copyright © 2009 by Pauline Kroger, (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: 2009-11-16
Line count: 14
Word count: 95