by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)
Translation by Alexis Paulin Pâris (1800 - 1881)
The harp the monarch minstrel swept
Language: English
The harp the monarch minstrel swept, The King of men, the loved of Heaven, Which Music hallow'd while she wept O'er tones her heart of hearts had given, Redoubled be her tears, its chords are riven! It soften'd men of iron mould, It gave them virtues not their own; No ear so dull, no soul so cold, That felt not, fired not to the tone, Till David's lyre grew mightier than his throne! It told the triumphs of our King, It wafted glory to our God; It made our gladden'd valleys ring, The cedars bow, the mountains nod; Its sound aspired to heaven and there abode! Since then, though heard on earth no more, Devotion and her daughter Love Still bid the bursting spirit soar To sounds that seem as from above, In dreams that day's broad light can not remove.
Text Authorship:
- by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "The harp the monarch minstrel swept", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 2, 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 , "The harp the monarch minstrel swept", published 1943 [ mixed chorus and orchestra ], from Judea [sung text not yet checked]
- by Otto Luening (1900 - 1996), "The harp the monarch minstrel swept", 1951 [ soprano and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Isaac Nathan (1790 - 1864), "The harp the monarch minstrel swept", published 1815 [ voice and piano ], from A Selection of Hebrew Melodies No. I, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Franz Theremin (1780 - 1846) , "Davids Harfe", appears in Hebräische Gesänge, first published 1820 ; composed by Carl Loewe.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Adolf Böttger (1815 - 1870) , "Die Harfe hat des Gottgeliebten", appears in Hebräische Melodien, no. 2, first published 1841 ; composed by Max Seifriz, János Végh, as Johann Végh.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Alexis Paulin Pâris) , "Hélas! qu'est devenue la harpe du royal ménestrel", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 2
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2004-05-08
Line count: 20
Word count: 141
Hélas! qu'est devenue la harpe du royal ménestrel
Language: French (Français) after the English
Hélas! qu'est devenue la harpe du royal ménestrel, la harpe du souverain des hommes, du bien-aimé du ciel, la harpe que la mélodie sacrée sanctifia par de plaintifs accens, nés du cœur--et du cœur le plus tendre! O Mélodie, redouble tes larmes: ces cordes magiques sont brisées. Naguères cette harpe adoucit les hommes aux entrailles de fer, elle leur donna les vertus qu'ils n'avaient pas. Quelle oreille fut assez sourde, quelle ame assez froide pour ne pas se réveiller, pour ne pas s'embraser au son de cette lyre, qui, bien plus que le trône, fit la puissance de David? Cette harpe chanta les triomphes de notre roi; elle glorifia notre Dieu; elle éveilla les joyeux échos des vallées, força les cèdres à se courber de respect, les montagnes à tressaillir d'allégresse; elle aspira au ciel et y laissa, enfin, ses accords que depuis lors on n'entend plus ici-bas. Mais toujours la piété, mère d'un saint enthousiasme, élève l'essor de notre ame jusques à ces chants qui nous semblent venir de la voûte céleste dans des songes ravissans, que la resplendissante lumière du jour ne saurait interrompre.
Text Authorship:
- by Alexis Paulin Pâris (1800 - 1881), "Hélas! qu'est devenue la harpe du royal ménestrel", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 2 [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), "The harp the monarch minstrel swept", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 2, 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: 20
Word count: 186