by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)
Translation by Alexis Paulin Pâris (1800 - 1881)
Thou whose spell can raise the dead
Language: English
Thou whose spell can raise the dead, Bid the prophet's form appear. 'Samuel, raise thy buried head! King, behold the phantom seer!' Earth yawn'd; he stood the centre of a cloud: Light changed its hue, retiring from his shroud. Death stood all glassy in his fixed eye: His hand was wither'd, and his veins were dry; His foot, in bony whiteness, glitter'd there, Shrunken and sinewless, and ghastly bare; From lips that moved not and unbreathing frame, Like cavern'd winds, the hollow acccents came. Saul saw, and fell to earth, as falls the oak, At once, and blasted by the thunderstroke. 'Why is my sleep disquieted? Who is he that calls the dead? Is it thou, O King? Behold, bloodless are these limbs, and cold: Such are mine; and such shall be Thine to-morrow, when with me: Ere the coming day is done, Such shalt thou be, such thy son. Fare thee well, but for a day, Then we mix our mouldering clay. Thou, thy race, lie pale and low, Pierced by shafts of many a bow; And the falchion by thy side To thy heart thy hand shall guide: Crownless, breathless, headless fall, Son and sire, the house of Saul!'
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "Saul", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 19, first published 1815 [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 David Leo Diamond (1915 - 2005), "Saul", published 1969 [ voice and piano ], from Hebrew melodies, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Isaac Nathan (1790 - 1864), "Saul", published 1815 [ voice and piano ], from A Selection of Hebrew Melodies No. I, no. 19 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Edwin W. Simcox , "Hebrew melody", published 1876 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by W. G. Thompson , "Saul", published 1901 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Franz Theremin (1780 - 1846) , "Saul und Samuel", appears in Hebräische Gesänge, first published 1820 ; composed by Carl Loewe.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Alexis Paulin Pâris) , "Saül", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 19
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-13
Line count: 30
Word count: 201
Saül
Language: French (Français)  after the English
Ô toi dont le magique pouvoir ressuscite les morts, ordonne à l'ombre du prophète de paraître devant moi. -- «Samuel, lève ta tête ensevelie. Roi, regarde le fantôme du Voyant !» -- La terre s'entr'ouvrit: le spectre apparut au centre d'un nuage, mortuaire enveloppe qui fit pâlir la lumière du jour; son œil glacé par la mort n'avait plus qu'un regard terne et fixe, ses mains étaient flétries, et ses veines arides; son pied, dépouillé de sang et de nerfs, offrait à nu l'horrible blancheur de ses os; de ses lèvres immobiles et de sa poitrine qui ne respirait plus, sortit une voix sourde comme les vents renfermés dans un antre. Saül le vit, et tomba par terre, comme tombe le chêne frappé par un coup de tonnerre. «Pourquoi trouble-t-on mon sommeil ? Quel-est celui qui appelle les morts ? Est-ce toi, roi d'Israël ? regarde ces membres pâles et froids; ce sont les miens: tels seront les tiens demain, quand tu seras venu me rejoindre; avant la fin du jour qui se lève, tel tu seras, tel sera ton fils. Adieu, mais pour un jour ! puis nous mêlerons notre poussière. Toi et ta race, tombez à terre, pâles et mourans, sous les flèches parties de tant d'arcs ennemis ! à ton côté pend le glaive que ta main guidera vers ton cœur ! Sans couronne, sans haleine, sans vie, tombent le fils et le père, tombe la maison de Saül !»
Authorship:
- by Alexis Paulin Pâris (1800 - 1881), "Saül", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 19 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "Saul", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 19, first published 1815
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2012-01-15
Line count: 30
Word count: 241