by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)
Translation by Alexis Paulin Pâris (1800 - 1881)
Were my bosom as false as thou deem'st it to be
Language: English
Were my bosom as false as thou deem'st it to be, I need not have wander'd from far Galilee; It was but abjuring my creed to efface The curse which, thou say'st, is the crime of my race. If the bad never triumph, then God is with thee! If the slave only sin, thou art spotless and free! If the Exile on earth is an Outcast on high, Live on in thy faith, but in mine I will die. I have lost for that faith more than thou canst bestow, As the God who permits thee to prosper doth know; In his hand is my heart and my hope - and in thine The land and the life which for him I resign.
Text Authorship:
- by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "Were my bosom as false as thou deem'st it to be", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 17, 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 Isaac Nathan (1790 - 1864), "Were my bosom as false as thou deem'st it to be", published 1815 [ voice and piano ], from A Selection of Hebrew Melodies No. I, no. 17 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Franz Theremin (1780 - 1846) , "Wär ich wirklich so falsch", appears in Hebräische Gesänge, first published 1820 ; composed by M. Henle, Carl Loewe.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Adolf Böttger (1815 - 1870) , "Wär' ich wirklich so falsch", appears in Hebräische Melodien, no. 18, first published 1841 ; composed by Karl Müller.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Alexis Paulin Pâris) , "Si mon cœur était aussi perfide que tu le penses", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 17
Researcher for this page: Thomas Jaenicke
This text was added to the website: 2004-07-05
Line count: 12
Word count: 122
Si mon cœur était aussi perfide que tu le penses
Language: French (Français) after the English
Si mon cœur était aussi perfide que tu le penses, je n'aurais pas eu besoin d'errer loin de la Galilée; il ne fallait qu'abjurer ma croyance pour effacer la malédiction qui est, dis-tu, le crime de ma race. Si les méchans ne triomphent jamais, alors Dieu est avec toi ! si les esclaves seuls tombent dans le péché, tu es aussi pur que libre ! si les proscrits d'ici-bas sont traités en bannis là-haut, vis toujours dans ta foi ! mais moi, je mourrai dans la mienne. Pour ma foi, j'ai perdu beaucoup plus que tu ne peux me donner; Dieu le sait, ce Dieu qui te permet de prospérer; dans sa main est mon cœur et mon espérance, -- dans la tienne, mon pays et ma vie que pour lui je résigne.
Text Authorship:
- by Alexis Paulin Pâris (1800 - 1881), "Si mon cœur était aussi perfide que tu le penses", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 17 [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), "Were my bosom as false as thou deem'st it to be", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 17, 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: 129