by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (1787 - 1874)
Miranda's Lament
Language: English
Miranda: If by your art, my dearest father, you have Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them. The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch, But that the sea, mounting to [th' welkin's cheek]1 Dashes the fire out. O, I have suffered With those that I saw suffer! [ A brave vessel Who had, no doubt, some noble creature in her Dashed all to pieces. ]2 O, the cry did knock Against my very heart! Poor souls, they perished! Had I been any god of power, I would Have sunk the sea within the earth, or ere It should the good ship so have swallowed, and The fraughting souls within her. Prospero: Be collected: No more amazement: tell your [piteous]3 heart There's no harm done.
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Saariaho: "the face of sky"
2 Omitted by Saariaho.
3 Saariaho: "pitying"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
1 Saariaho: "the face of sky"
2 Omitted by Saariaho.
3 Saariaho: "pitying"
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), appears in The Tempest, Act I, Scene 2 [author's text checked 1 time 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 Kaija Saariaho (1952 - 2023), "Miranda's Lament", 1997, published 2004? [ soprano, clarinet, harp, violin, contrabass ], from The Tempest Songbook, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François Pierre Guillaume Guizot)
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-01-21
Line count: 17
Word count: 131
Si c'est vous, mon bien‑aimé père, qui
Language: French (Français) after the English
Miranda : Si c'est vous, mon bien-aimé père, qui par votre art faites mugir ainsi les eaux en tumulte, apaisez-les. Il semble que le ciel serait prêt à verser de la poix enflammée, si la mer, s'élançant à la face du firmament, n'allait en éteindre les feux. Oh ! j'ai souffert avec ceux que je voyais souffrir ! Un brave vaisseau, qui sans doute renfermait de nobles créatures, brisé tout en pièces ! Oh ! leur cri a frappé mon cœur. Pauvres gens ! ils ont péri. Si j'avais été quelque puissant dieu, j'aurais voulu précipiter la mer dans les gouffres de la terre, avant qu'elle eût ainsi englouti ce beau vaisseau et tous ceux qui le montaient. Prospero : Recueillez vos sens, calmez votre effroi ; dites à votre cœur compatissant qu'il n'est arrivé aucun mal.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (1787 - 1874) [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), appears in The Tempest, Act I, Scene 2
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2010-11-01
Line count: 18
Word count: 129