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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.
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 text: 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, 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.
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:
- a text in French (Français) by Amy Sylvel ( flourished 1930s )
This text was added to the website: 2019-06-17
Line count: 16
Word count: 68