The young May moon is beaming; love,
The glow-worm's lamp is gleaming, love,
How sweet to rove
Through Morna's grove,
When the drowsy world is dreaming, love!
Then awake! The heavens look bright, my dear,
'Tis never too late for delight, [my dear,]1
And best of all ways
To lengthen [our]1 days
Is to steal a few hours from the night, my [dear!]2
Now all the world is sleeping, love.
But the Sage, his star-watch keeping, love,
And I, whose star,
More glorious far,
Is the eye from that casement peeping, love.
Then awake ! — till rise of sun, my dear,
The Sage's glass we'll shun, my dear.
Or, in watching the flight
Of bodies of light,
He might happen to take thee for one, my dear.
C. Ives sets stanza 1
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Thomas Moore, A New Edition from the last London Edition, Boston: Lee and Shepard; New York: Lee, Shepard, & Dillingham, 1876.
1 omitted by Ives2 Ives: "my dear,/ When the drowsy world is dreaming, love!"
Text Authorship:
- by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), "The young May Moon", appears in Irish Melodies [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 Daniel Gilliam (b. 1978), "A night song", 2003, from Three Nocturnes, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Edward Ives (1874 - 1954), "A night song", stanza 1 [ voice and piano ], from Sentimental Ballads, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Émile Paladilhe.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Ignaz Brüll.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "La jeune lune de mai", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 127
Der junge Maimond schimmert, mein Lieb,
Der helle Glühwurm flimmert, mein Lieb,
Gern wandr' ich allein
Durch Flur und Hain
Wenn die Welt sich im Traum um nichts kümmert, mein Lieb!
Doch erwach! Denn die Welt ist voll Pracht, mein Kind,
Zur Freude ist sie gemacht, mein Kind,
Das beste Bestreben
Zu verlängern das Leben,
Ist stehlen ein Stündchen der Nacht, mein Kind.
Jetzt schläft die Welt noch gerne, mein Lieb,
Der Forscher nur blickt zum Sterne, mein Lieb!
Mein Stern so klar
Ist dein Augenpaar
Das vom Fenster dort schaut in die Ferne, mein Lieb!
Doch erwach! Denn die Sonne erwacht, mein Kind,
Der Forscher blickt um sich sacht, mein Kind,
Erspäht er dich klar,
So hält er wohl gar
Dich für einen Stern voll Pracht, mein Lieb.
Text Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), "The young May Moon", appears in Irish Melodies
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ignaz Brüll (1846 - 1907), "Der Augenstern", op. 77 (Vier irische Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte auf Gedichte von Thomas Moore) no. 3, published 1898 [ voice and piano ], Langensalza, Beyer & Söhne [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The shining star", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2011-08-07
Line count: 20
Word count: 129