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by William Blake (1757 - 1827)
Translation © by Dr Huaixing Wang
Once a dream did weave a shade
Language: English
Once a dream did weave a shade O'er my angel-guarded bed, That an emmet lost its way Where on grass methought I lay. Troubled, wildered, and forlorn, Dark, benighted, travel-worn, Over many a tangle spray, All heart-broke, I heard her say: "Oh my children! do they cry, Do they hear their father sigh? Now they look abroad to see, Now return and weep for me." Pitying, I dropped a tear: But I saw a glow-worm near, Who replied, "What wailing wight Calls the watchman of the night? "I am set to light the ground, While the beetle goes his round: Follow now the beetle's hum; Little wanderer, hie thee home!"
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "A dream", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Innocence, no. 18, first published 1789 [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 William Bolcom (b. 1938), "A Dream", 1956-81 [ solo voices, chorus, orchestra ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 18 [sung text not yet checked]
- by (William) Havergal Brian (1876 - 1972), "The dream", 1914?, published c1922 [ SSA trio with piano ], London : Augener [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Henry) Elliot Button (1861 - ?), "A dream", published 1892, from Songs of Innocence, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Vincent Henry Palmer Caillard, Sir (1856 - 1930), "A dream", published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from The Songs of Innocence of William Blake, no. 18, London : Novello, Ewer & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Elyse Donathan Curtis (b. 1929), "A dream", c1974, first performed 1974 [ medium voice, chorus, and piano ], from Nine Songs of William Blake, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ole Carsten Green (b. 1922), "A dream", op. 27b no. 17 (1973) [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 17 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Joseph Holbrooke (1878 - 1958), "A dream", op. 130 no. 16 (1934), from Songs of Innocence, no. 16 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Chester Edward Ide (1878 - 1944), "A dream", c1928 [ vocal duet for treble voices a cappella ], from Songs of Innocence -- Eight Poems by William Blake, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul A. Irby , "A dream", published c1928 [ voice and piano ], from Three Songs of Innocence, no. 2, London, Wellington Music Publ. Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Daniel Kidane (b. 1986), "A Dream", first performed 2018 [ tenor and piano ], from Songs of Illumination, no. 1, confirmed with a concert programme booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
- by André Laporte (b. 1931), "A dream", 1979, published c1983 [ SSSS chorus a cappella ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 2, Kontich, Belgium : De notenboom [sung text not yet checked]
- by Joan Littlejohn (b. 1937), "A dream ", 1968 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Donald Patriquin (b. 1938), "A dream", 1984 [ SSAA chorus, harp, and flute ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ellen Raskin (1928 - 1984), "A dream", published 1966 [ voice and piano or guitar ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 18, Garden City, NY : Doubleday [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov (1948 - 2020), "A dream", op. 132 no. 5 (2001) [ speaker and tape ], from The Innocence of Experience, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ronald Stevenson (b. 1928), "A dream", 1948-50, rev. 1965 [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 18, another version exists for voice, flute, and string quintet (composed 1966-71) [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Austin Sykes (1909 - 1962), "A dream", 1935-6, first performed 1975 [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 15 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rudolph T. Werther (1896 - 1986), "Dream", 1960 [ voice and piano ], from Song Cycle : On Children, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
- by William Brocklesby Wordsworth (1908 - 1988), "A dream", op. 35 no. 3 (1948) [ high voice and piano ], from Four Blake Songs, no. 3, Edinburgh : Scotus Music Publications [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CHI Chinese (中文) [singable] (Dr Huaixing Wang) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- RUS Russian (Русский) [singable] (Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov) , "Сон", copyright ©, (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: 20
Word count: 110
旧梦确实编阴影/ 天使护床上曾经，
Language: Chinese (中文) after the English
旧梦确实编阴影 天使护床上曾经， 似在我躺草草地 一只蚂蚁把路迷。 烦恼、狂野和孤独， 黑暗昏沉风霜苦， 许多缠结树枝上， 听她心碎对我讲： “孩子他们可哭泣， 听到其父作叹息？ 他们放眼国外看， 回来为我长潸然。” 不禁掉泪生怜悯： 萤火虫儿在附近， 它说：“为何发哀号 守夜之人相唤召？ “甲虫绕它转得忙 我把大地照通亮： 跟随甲虫嗡嗡声； 流浪小儿转回程！”
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of title(s):
"A dream" = "梦"
"Dream" = "梦"
"The dream" = "梦"
Text Authorship:
- Singable translation from English to Chinese (中文) copyright © 2024 by Dr Huaixing Wang, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "A dream", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Innocence, no. 18, first published 1789
This text was added to the website: 2024-02-18
Line count: 20
Word count: 20