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These are the days when Birds come back -- A very few -- a Bird or two -- To take a backward look. These are the days when skies resume The old -- old sophistries of June -- A blue and gold mistake. Oh fraud that cannot cheat the Bee -- Almost thy plausibility Induces my belief. Till ranks of seeds their witness bear -- And softly thro' the altered air Hurries a timid leaf. Oh Sacrament of summer days, Oh Last Communion in the Haze -- Permit a child to join. Thy sacred emblems to partake -- They consecrated bread to take And thine immortal wine!
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, first published 1890 [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 Rudolf Escher (1912 - 1980), "These are the days when birds come back", 1955, published 1956 [ mixed chorus of 7-10 voices ], from Songs of Love and Eternity, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by William Ferris , "Indian summer", published 1979 [ SATB chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ulysses Simpson Kay (1917 - 1995), "Indian summer", published 1964 [ SSA chorus and piano ], from Emily Dickinson Set [sung text not yet checked]
- by George Frederick McKay (1899 - 1970), "Indian summer", published 1967 [ SSA chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Thomas Pasatieri (b. 1945), "These are the days", published 1977 [ high voice, piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by George Perle (1915 - 2009), "These are the days when birds come back" [ voice and piano ], from Thirteen Dickinson Songs, no. 7 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Daniel Rogers Pinkham (1923 - 2006), "These are the days when birds come back", published 1974 [ medium voice and electronic tape ], from Safe in their Alabaster Chambers [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ruth Schonthal (1924 - 2006), "These are the days", 1977, first performed 1978 [ voice and piano ], from Seven Songs of Love and Sorrow, no. 1, Furore Verlag [sung text not yet checked]
Set in a modified version by Richard Stöhr.
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 A. Aue) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 98
'S'ist nun, daß Vögel kehr'n zurück -- ein paar nur -- einer oder zwei -- für einen letzten Blick. S'ist nun, daß mancher Himmel rein nochmals vertraut den Junispielerei'n: Ein Irrtum, gold und blau. Der Schwindel täuscht die Biene nicht -- Doch weil so glaubhaft sein Gesicht, vertrau' ich ihm zuletzt, bis aus den Samen Wahrheit spricht und durch die Luft, jetzt leicht und licht, ein müdes Blatt sich hetzt. Oh Sakrament der Sommerszeit, oh letztes Abendmahl bereit: laß' Kind mich bei Dir sein: Dein heilig' Bild zu teil'n im Rund, Dein göttlich' Brot zu essen und zu trinken Deinen Wein!
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- Translation from English to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2010 by Walter A. Aue, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Walter A. Aue.  Contact: waue (AT) dal (DOT) ca
If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, first published 1890
This text was added to the website: 2010-01-12
Line count: 18
Word count: 97