by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892)
Translation © by Geart van der Meer

It chanced the song that Enid sang was...
Language: English 
Our translations:  DUT FRI
[It chanced the song that Enid sang was one
Of Fortune and her wheel, and Enid sang:]1

'Turn, Fortune, turn thy wheel and lower the proud;
Turn thy wild wheel through sunshine, storm, and cloud;
Thy wheel and thee we neither love nor hate.

'Turn, Fortune, turn thy wheel with smile or frown;
With that wild wheel we go not up or down;
Our hoard is little, but our hearts are great.

'Smile and we smile, the lords of many lands;
Frown and we smile, the lords of our own hands;
For man is man and master of his fate.

'Turn, turn thy wheel above the staring crowd;
Thy wheel and thou are shadows in the cloud;
Thy wheel and thee we neither love nor hate.'

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1 omitted in most settings; included in Richmond's.

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Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Geart van der Meer) , copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRI Frisian (Geart van der Meer) , copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2010-04-21
Line count: 14
Word count: 127

/
Language: Frisian  after the English 
[
]

"Fortún, draai 't rêd, dat elk dy't grutsk is sinkt,
Draai troch bij stoarm of as it sintsje blinkt,
Dyn rêd en do -- dat is ús likefolle.

Fortún, draai 't rêd, mei 't antlit swart of blier,
Want dyn wyld draaien deart ús net in hier;
Ús hert is grut, al ha wij net safolle.

Ast glimkest, glimkje wij, sa ryk oan lannen,
Ast swart sjochst, glimkje wij, baas oer ús hannen;
De minsk is baas -- wij dogge wat wij wolle.

Fortún, draai 't rêd boppe' ús ûnwisse paad,
Dyn rêd en do binn' mar in wifkjend skaad;
Dyn rêd en do -- dat is ús likefolle."

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Text Authorship:

  • Translation from English to Frisian copyright © 2013 by Geart van der Meer, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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This text was added to the website: 2013-04-23
Line count: 14
Word count: 108