by Sappho (flourished c610-c580 BCE)
Translation by James Stephens (1882 - 1950)
Hesperus
Language: English after the Aeolic Greek
Upon the sober sky thy robes are spread, They drape the twilight, veil on quiet veil, Until the lingering daylight all has fled Before thee, modest goddess, shadow-pale : The hushed and reverent sky Her diadem of stars has lifted high. The tender lamb, the bleating kid, the fawn, All that the sunburnt day has scattered wide, Thou dost regather, holding till the dawn Each flower and tree and beast unto thy side : The sheep come to the pen, The dreams come to the men, And to the mother's breast The tired child doth come and take his rest. Evening gathers everything Scattered by the morning, Fold for sheep and nest for wing, Evening gathers everything, Child to mother, queen to king Running at thy warning ; Evening gathers everything Scattered by the morning.
Text Authorship:
- by James Stephens (1882 - 1950), "Hesperus", appears in Songs from the Clay, first published 1915 [an adaptation] [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Aeolic Greek by Sappho (flourished c610-c580 BCE), "Ἔσπερε, πάντα φέρῃς"
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Frederick M. May (1911 - 1985), "Hesperus" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Helen Maude Francesca Bantock, née von Schweitzer (1868 - 1961) [an adaptation] ; composed by Granville Ransome Bantock, Sir.
- Also set in English, a translation by Edwin Arnold (1832 - 1904) , no title, appears in The Secret of Death with some collected poems, first published 1885 ; composed by Clara Angela Macirone.
- Also set in English, a translation by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824) , "Hesperus the Bringer" [an adaptation] ; composed by John Woods Duke.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Raoul Schrott , appears in Die Erfindung der Poesie, first published 1997, copyright © [an adaptation] ; composed by Andrea Lorenzo Scartazzini.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Johann Gottfried Herder (1744 - 1803) , no title, appears in Stimmen der Völker in Liedern, in 2. Das zweite Buch. Lieder aus dem Süd, in 5. Fragmente griechischer Lieder. Sappho, no. 4 ; composed by Mathilde von Kralik, Johann Friedrich Reichardt.
- Also set in Italian (Italiano), a translation by Salvatore Quasimodo (1901 - 1968) ; composed by Luigi Dallapiccola.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-01-22
Line count: 22
Word count: 133