by Arthur Symons (1865 - 1945)
Translation Singable translation by Rudolf Stephan Hoffmann (1878 - 1931)
Before the squall
Language: English
The wind is [rising]1 on the sea, The windy white foam dancers leap; And the sea moans uneasily, And turns to sleep, and cannot sleep. Ridge after [rocky]2 ridge uplifts wild hands, And hammers at the land, Scatters in liquid dust, and drifts To death among the dusty sand. On the horizon's nearing line, Where the sky rests a visible wall, Grey in the offing I divine The sails that fly before a squall.
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Becker: "missing" (?)
2 omitted by Becker
Researcher for this page: T. P. (Peter) Perrin
1 Becker: "missing" (?)
2 omitted by Becker
Text Authorship:
- by Arthur Symons (1865 - 1945), "Before the squall", appears in Silhouettes, in At Dieppe, no. 4 [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 Joseph Becker (1886 - 1961), "Before the squall", published 1959, from At Dieppe, no. 3 [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ethel Mary Smyth, Dame (1858 - 1944), "Before the squall", published 1913 [mezzo-soprano or baritone with piano], from Three Moods of the Sea = Drei Lieder vom Meere, no. 2, also set in German (Deutsch) [ sung text checked 1 time]
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: 74
Vor dem Wetter
Language: German (Deutsch) after the English
Der wilde Sturmwind braust daher. Mit weißen Fahnen tanzt der Schaum. Ruhelos wogt und stöhnt das Meer, Und sehnt sich so nach Schlaf und Traum. Welle auf Welle ballt die Flut Zur Faust, und hämmert an das Land. Ohnmächtig sinkt sie hin, die Wut Verlöscht zu Tod in Staub und Sand. An Horizontes dunklem Bord, Wo sich vom Meer der Himmel schied, Manch graues Segel ahn' ich dort, Das vor dem Wetter flatternd flieht.
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), "Before the squall", appears in Silhouettes, in At Dieppe, no. 4
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), "Vor dem Wetter", published 1913 [mezzo-soprano or baritone and orchestra], from Three Moods of the Sea = Drei Lieder vom Meere, no. 2, also set in English [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2011-12-27
Line count: 12
Word count: 74