by
Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928)
The Ivy‑Wife
Language: English
Available translation(s): SPA
I longed to love a full-boughed beech
And be as high as he:
I stretched an arm within his reach,
And signalled unity.
But with his drip he forced a breach,
And tried to poison me.
I gave the grasp of partnership
To one of other race -
A plane: he barked him strip by strip
From upper bough to base;
And me therewith; for gone my grip,
My arms could not enlace.
In new affection next I strove
To coll an ash I saw,
And he in trust received my love;
Till with my soft green claw
I cramped and bound him as I wove...
Such was my love: ha-ha!
By this I gained his strength and height
Without his rivalry.
But in my triumph I lost sight
Of afterhaps. Soon he,
Being bark-bound, flagged, snapped, fell outright,
And in his fall felled me!
Authorship:
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, and transliterations (if applicable):
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Alfredo García) , title 1: "La esposa hiedra", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2004-06-14
Line count: 24
Word count: 145
La esposa hiedra
Language: Spanish (Español)  after the English
Deseaba yo el amor de un haya frondosa
y ser tan alta como ella:
extendí un brazo a su lado,
y señalé la unión.
Pero con sus gotas abrió una brecha,
e intentó envenenarme.
Abracé como compañero
a uno de otra especie -
Un plátano: él lo descortezó tira a tira
desde la rama más alta hasta la base;
y a mí con él; pues perdido el agarre,
mis brazos no podían enroscarse.
Con renovado amor me esforcé después
por asirme a un fresno que vi,
y él, confiado, aceptó mi amor;
hasta que con mi suave y verde garra
le apreté y le rodeé mientras trepaba
Tal era mi amor: ¡ja!
Así conseguí su fuerza y su altura
sin su rivalidad.
pero en mi triunfo perdí de vista
lo que vendría después. Pronto él,
ceñido por la corteza, se debilitó, se quebró y cayó,
¡y en su caída me derribó!
Authorship:
Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2004-06-14
Line count: 24
Word count: 152