by Arthur Symons (1865 - 1945)
Translation Singable translation by Rudolf Stephan Hoffmann (1878 - 1931)
Requies
Language: English
O is it death or life that sounds Like something strangely known In this subsiding out of strife, This low sea monotone? A sound scarce heard through sleep Murmurs as the August bees That fill the forest hollows deep About the roots of trees. O is it death or life, or is it Hope or memory That quiets all things with this breath Of the eternal sea?
Text Authorship:
- by Arthur Symons (1865 - 1945), "Requies", appears in Silhouettes, in At Dieppe, no. 6, first published 1892 [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 John Joseph Becker (1886 - 1961), "Requies", published 1959, from At Dieppe, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Louis Campbell-Tipton (1877 - 1921), "Requies", 1907 [ voice and piano ], from Four Sea Lyrics, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ethel Mary Smyth, Dame (1858 - 1944), "Requies", published 1913 [ mezzo-soprano or baritone with orchestra ], from Three Moods of the Sea = Drei Lieder vom Meere, no. 1, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Rudolf Stephan Hoffmann (1878 - 1931) ; composed by Ethel Mary Smyth, Dame.
Researcher for this page: T. P. (Peter) Perrin
This text was added to the website: 2006-03-11
Line count: 12
Word count: 67
Meeresstille
Language: German (Deutsch) after the English
Ist's Leben oder Tod, was tief sich in der Stille regt? Nun ist's vorbei mit Kampf und Not, das Meer liegt unbewegt. Wie einer Biene Laut ein Summen leise singt im Raum, ein Tönen seltsam und vertraut; du lauschest selig wie im Traum. Und Leben oder Tod, was längst vorbei, was Hoffnung wär', still wird nun alles Glück und Not vor dem ew'gen Meer.
Text Authorship:
- Singable translation by Rudolf Stephan Hoffmann (1878 - 1931) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Arthur Symons (1865 - 1945), "Requies", appears in Silhouettes, in At Dieppe, no. 6, first published 1892
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ethel Mary Smyth, Dame (1858 - 1944), "Meeresstille", published 1913 [ mezzo-soprano or baritone and orchestra ], from Three Moods of the Sea = Drei Lieder vom Meere, no. 1, also set in English [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website: 2020-09-29
Line count: 12
Word count: 64