by Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933)
Lessons
Language: English
Our translations: FRE
Unless I learn to ask no help
From any other soul but mine,
To seek no strength in waving reeds
Nor shade beneath a straggling pine;
Unless I learn to look at Grief
Unshrinking from her tear-blind eyes,
And take from Pleasure fearlessly
Whatever gifts will make me wise --
Unless I learn these things on earth,
Why was I ever given birth?
Confirmed with Sara Teasdale, Love Songs, New York, The Macmillan Company, 1917, page 49.
Text Authorship:
- by Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933), "Lessons", appears in Love Songs, in 2. Interlude: Songs out of Sorrow, no. 3, first published 1917 [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 John Woods Duke (1899 - 1984), "Lessons", 1967 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Songs Out of Sorrow, Six Songs for Mezzo-soprano, no. 3, Southern/Texas [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Leçons", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-02-13
Line count: 10
Word count: 62