In my mother’s mirror | In my mother’s mirror

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Amy Sylvel ( flourished 1930s )

Translation © by Iain Sneddon

Au miroir de ma mère

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Au miroir de ma mère,
J'ai vu le long passé,
Les chemins de la terre
Où ses pieds ont marché;

Au miroir de ma mère,
J'ai vu le cheveux lourds
Qu'elle enroulait naguère,
En ses simples atours;

Au miroir de ma mère,
J'ai vu le pauvre nid,
La lutte ardente et fière,
L'amour jamais fini;

Au miroir de ma mère,
J'ai vu le long souci,
J'ai vu vie entière,
Et la mort blanche aussi.

Text Authorship:

by Amy Sylvel ( flourished 1930s ) [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 Francis George Scott (1880 - 1958), "Au miroir de ma mère", 1940, published 1949 [ voice and piano ], from 35 Scottish Lyrics and other Poems, no. 35, Bayley & Ferguson for The Saltire Society, Glasgow, page 135 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Iain Sneddon) , "In my mother’s mirror", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2019-06-17
Line count: 16
Word count: 74

In my mother’s mirror

Language: English after the French (Français)

In my mother’s mirror,
I saw the distant past,
The paths of the earth
Where her feet walked;

In my mother’s mirror,
I saw the heavy tresses
That she once pinned up,
In her simple fashion;

In my mother’s mirror,
I saw the meagre nest,
The proud, passionate struggle,
Love left unfinished;

In my mother’s mirror,
I saw the whole 
Of her careworn life,
And also pale death.

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2019 by Iain Sneddon, (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 French (Français) by Amy Sylvel ( flourished 1930s )
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2019-06-17
Line count: 16
Word count: 68