by Anacreon (c582BCE - c485BCE)
Translation by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852)
When Spring adorns the dewy scene
Language: English after the Greek (Ελληνικά)
When Spring adorns the dewy scene, How sweet to walk the velvet green, And hear the west wind's gentle sighs, As o'er the scented mead it flies! How sweet to mark the pouting vine, Ready to burst in tears of wine; And with some maid, who breathes but love, To walk, at noontide, through the grove, Or sit in some cool, green recess-- Oh, is this not true happiness?
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), "Ode XLI", appears in Odes of Anacreon, no. 41, first published 1800 [an adaptation] [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Alexander Campbell MacKenzie, Sir (1847 - 1935), "When spring begems the dewy scene", published 1878 [SATB chorus and optional piano], London: Novello [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-04-20
Line count: 10
Word count: 69