by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)
Translation by Alexis Paulin Pâris (1800 - 1881)
In the valley of waters
Language: English
In the valley of waters we wept o'er the day When the host of the stranger made Salem his prey, And our heads on our bosoms all droopingly lay, And our hearts were so full of the land far away. The song they demanded in vain -- it lay still In our souls as the wind that hath died on the hill; They call'd for the harp -- but our blood they shall spill Ere our right hand shall teach them one tone of our skill. All stringlessly hung on the willow's sad tree, As dead as her dead leaf those mute harps must be; Our hands may be fetter'd -- our tears still are free, For our God and our glory -- and, Sion! -- Oh, thee.
Text Authorship:
- by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "In the valley of waters", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 27, first published 1815 [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 Samuel Bugatch , "In the valley of waters", published 1943 [ soprano, tenor, baritone, mixed chorus and orchestra ], from Judea [sung text not yet checked]
- by Isaac Nathan (1790 - 1864), "In the valley of waters", published 1815 [ voice and piano ], from A Selection of Hebrew Melodies No. I, no. 27 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Alexis Paulin Pâris) , "Dans la vallée des eaux", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 27
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-08-09
Line count: 12
Word count: 123
Dans la vallée des eaux
Language: French (Français) after the English
Dans la vallée des eaux nous pleurons sur le jour où l'ennemi, où l'hôte de l'étranger fit sa proie de Jérusalem; et nos têtes reposent tristement penchées sur nos seins, et nos cœurs sont pleins de la patrie absente. Le chant qu'ils demandaient en vain, -- il dort encore dans nos ames, comme le vent qui a expiré sur la colline; ils demandaient nos chants sur la harpe, -- mais ils versèrent notre sang avant que notre main droite leur fît entendre le moindre accord d'harmonie. Nos harpes sans cordes sont suspendues sur les branches désolées du saule, aussi tristes, aussi muettes que les feuilles desséchées. Nos mains peuvent être enchaînées, -- nos larmes sont encore libres pour notre prière et notre gloire, -- et Sion ! oh toi !
Text Authorship:
- by Alexis Paulin Pâris (1800 - 1881), "Dans la vallée des eaux", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 27 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "In the valley of waters", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 27, first published 1815
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2012-01-15
Line count: 12
Word count: 124