Sleep ! — we give thee to the wave, Red with life-blood from the brave, Thou shalt find a noble grave: Fare thee well! Sleep! thy billowy field is won, Proudly may the funeral gun, Midst the hush at set of sun, Boom thy knell! Lonely, lonely is thy bed, Never there may flower be shed, Marble reared, or brother's head Bow'd to weep. Yet thy record on the sea, Borne through battle high and free, Long the red-cross flag shall be: Sleep! oh, sleep!
Text Authorship:
- by Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1793 - 1835), "Dirge at sea" [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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876) , "Grablied zur See" ; composed by Friedrich Silcher.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Vrchlický) , "Pohřební zpěv na moři"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2015-09-29
Line count: 16
Word count: 84
Spi! — Tě vlnám svěřujem,
krví reků plá jich lem,
vzácný hrob tam najdeš, vem
naše „s bohem“ tam.
Spi! — Tvá proudů celá říš,
stan tvůj moře, nebes výš,
pohřební zvon duní již
temně v náruč tmám.
Postel tvoje — proudů jek.
Kde jsou slzy? — Náhrobek?
Ani květů nemáš vděk,
ani bratrů vzdych.
Však tvá pamět na moři
v bitvy řev se vynoří
v kříži vlajky zahoří,
spi již tich!
Confirmed with Moderní básníci angličtí (1700—1800), translated by Jaroslav Vrchlický, Praha : Jos. R. Vilímek, vyd. okolo 1900, page 226.
Text Authorship:
- by Jaroslav Vrchlický (1853 - 1912), "Pohřební zpěv na moři" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1793 - 1835), "Dirge at sea"
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 ]
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2019-07-16
Line count: 16
Word count: 72