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A little black thing among the snow, Crying 'weep 'weep in notes of woe! Where are thy father and mother? say? They are both gone up to the church to pray. Because I was happy upon the hearth, And smil'd among the winter's snow They clothed me in the clothes of death, And taught me to sing the notes of woe. And because I am happy & dance & sing They think they have done me no injury, And are gone to praise God & his Priest & King Who make up a heaven of our misery.
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Text Authorship:
- by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "The chimney sweeper", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Experience, no. 7, first published 1794 [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 William Bolcom (b. 1938), "The chimney sweeper", 1956-81 [ solo voices, chorus, and orchestra ], from Songs of Experience, Volume Two, no. 13 [sung text not yet checked]
- by (William) Havergal Brian (1876 - 1972), "The chimney sweeper", 1914, published 1929 [ unison chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "The chimney sweeper", op. 74 no. 4, from Songs and Proverbs of William Blake, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by James Henry Baseden Butt (b. 1929), "The chimney sweeper", op. 60 no. 2, published 1980, from Five William Blake Songs, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by John H. Corina (1928 - 2014), "The chimney sweeper", 1976, from From Songs of Innocence and Experience [sung text not yet checked]
- by Norman Curtis (b. 1933), "The chimney sweeper", c1959 [ voice and piano ], from William Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience, no. 19 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Don Freund (b. 1947), "The chimney sweeper", 1967 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ole Carsten Green (b. 1922), "The chimney sweeper", op. 27a no. 7 (1973) [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Experience, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Joan Littlejohn (b. 1937), "The chimney sweeper", 1967-70, first performed 1971 [ voice and piano ], from Blakes Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Showing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul, Part II : Songs of Experience, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
- by William James Mathias (1934 - 1992), "The chimney sweeper", op. 82 no. 8 (1979), published c1987, first performed 1979 [ mezzo-soprano, celesta, harp, piano, and strings ], from Songs of William Blake, no. 8, Oxford : Oxford University Press [sung text not yet checked]
- by Oskar Morawetz (b. 1917), "The chimney sweeper", 1947, published 1961 [ medium voice and piano ], Toronto : Leeds Music - MCA Canada [sung text not yet checked]
- by Elie Siegmeister (1909 - 1991), "The chimney sweeper ", 1932 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by William Marion Smith , "The chimney sweep", 1966, published c1967 [ soprano and orchestra ], from Four Songs on Texts by William Blake, no. 2, Ann Arbor : University Microfilms ; part of a dissertation [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Le ramoneur de cheminée", 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: 12
Word count: 97
Una coseta negra enmig de la neu tot cridant escura, escura, en notes d’aflicció! On són el teu pare i la teva mare? Digues? Ambdós han anat a l’església a pregar. Perquè jo era feliç a la xemeneia i somreia enmig de la neu de l’hivern, em vestiren amb els vestits de la mort, i m’ensenyaren a cantar les notes de l’aflicció. I perquè sóc feliç i ballo i canto, pensen que no m’han fet cap mal, i han anat a lloar Déu i el seu sacerdot i el rei, que del nostre sofriment en fan un cel.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"The chimney sweep" = "L'escurament de la xemeneia"
"The chimney sweeper" = "L'escura-xemeneies"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Catalan (Català) copyright © 2024 by Salvador Pila, (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:
- a text in English by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "The chimney sweeper", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Experience, no. 7, first published 1794
This text was added to the website: 2024-09-28
Line count: 12
Word count: 98