by James Joyce (1882 - 1941)
I hear an army charging upon the land
Language: English
I hear an army charging upon the land, And the thunder of horses plunging, foam about their knees: Arrogant, in black armour, behind them stand, Disdaining the reins, with flutt'ring whips, the charioteers. They cry unto the night their battlename: I moan in sleep when I hear afar their whirling laughter. They cleave the gloom of dreams, a blinding flame, Clanging, clanging upon the heart as upon an anvil. They come shaking in triumph their long, green hair: They come out of the sea and run shouting by the shore. My heart, have you no wisdom thus to despair? My love, my love, why have you left me alone?
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Text Authorship:
- by James Joyce (1882 - 1941), no title, appears in Chamber Music, no. 36, first published 1907 [author's text not yet checked 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 David Arditti (b. 1964), no title, op. 20 no. 20 (1998) [ tenor and string quartet ], from Chamber Music, no. 20 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "I Hear an Army", 1991, published 1996 [ high voice or medium voice and piano ], from Chamber Music, no. 9 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Samuel Barber (1910 - 1981), "I hear an army", op. 10 (Three Songs) no. 3, published 1939 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Lorne M. Betts (b. 1918), "I hear an army charging upon the land", 1949 [ high voice and piano ], from Three Songs to Poems of James Joyce [sung text not yet checked]
- by Brian Boydell (1917 - 2000), "I hear an army", 1946 [ baritone and piano ], from Five Joyce Songs [sung text not yet checked]
- by David Del Tredici (1937 - 2023), "I hear an army", 1964, published 1974 [ soprano and string quartet ], New York : Boosey & Hawkes [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ross Lee Finney (1906 - 1997), "I hear an army charging upon the land ", 1952, published 1985, first performed 1975 [ voice and piano ], from Chamber Music, no. 36, Henmar Press [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Aynsley) Eugene Goossens, Sir (1893 - 1962), "I hear an army charging upon the land", op. 51 no. 6 (1929), published 1930 [ medium voice and piano ], from Chamber Music, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Sidney Harrison (b. 1903), "I hear an army", published 1927 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Derek Healey (b. 1936), "I hear an army charging", op. 16 no. 4 (1962) [ voice and piano ], from Six Irish Songs, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Muriel Emily Herbert (1897 - 1984), "I hear an army charging" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jack Marius Jarrett (b. 1934), "I hear an army", 1964 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], from The Unquiet Heart [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alfred Kunz (b. 1929), "I hear an army charging upon the land", published 1966 [ satb chorus and piano ], from Will you come? [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Kurt) Rudolf Mengelberg (1892 - 1959), "I hear an army charging upon the land", published 1960 [ medium voice and piano ], from Chamber music, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ronald Perera (b. 1941), "I hear an army", 1985 [ high voice and piano ], from Sleep Now, no. 1, Boosey & Hawkes [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gardner Read (1913 - 2005), "I hear an army", op. 45 no. 3 (1985), from Nocturnal Visions, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Conrad Susa (b. 1935), "I hear an army charging upon the land", published 1973 [ satb chorus and piano ], from Chamber Music [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Harald Genzmer.
- 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.]
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Walter Riemer) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 109