Una tempesta orribile | Una tempesta orribile devastava l'aria

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by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)

Translation © by Ferdinando Albeggiani

An awful Tempest mashed the air

Language: English

Our translations: FRE GER ITA

An awful Tempest mashed the air --
The clouds were gaunt, and few --
A Black -- as of a Spectre's Cloak
Hid Heaven and Earth from view.

The creatures chuckled on the Roofs --
And whistled in the air --
And shook their fists --
And gnashed their teeth --
And swung their frenzied hair.

The morning lit -- the Birds arose --
The Monster's faded eyes
Turned slowly to his native coast --
And peace -- was Paradise!

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Poems by Emily Dickinson, first published 1891 [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 John Woods Duke (1899 - 1984), "An awful tempest mashed the air", 1968, published 1978 [ soprano and piano ], from Six Poems by Emily Dickinson, no. 4, Southern Music Publishing Co. Inc., New York and Peer Musikverlag GMbH, Hamburg [sung text not yet checked]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Una tempesta orribile", copyright © 2009, (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: 13
Word count: 69

Una tempesta orribile

Language: Italian (Italiano) after the English

Una tempesta orribile devastava l'aria,
poche e sfilacciate le nubi -
Un nero - come mantello di spettro
oscurò alla vista il cielo e la terra -

Strani esseri ghignavano sopra i tetti -
E sibilavano nell'aria -
E scuotevano i pugni - con stridore di denti -
Agitando freneticamente i capelli -

Ed ecco, si accese il mattino - si destarono gli uccelli -
gli occhi appannati del mostro
si volsero lenti verso la costa natia -
E fu Pace - fu Paradiso!

Text Authorship:

Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2009 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (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:

a text in English by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Poems by Emily Dickinson, first published 1891
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2009-12-15
Line count: 12
Word count: 72