by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)
Translation by Alexis Paulin Pâris (1800 - 1881)
Fame, wisdom, love, and power were mine
Language: English
Fame, wisdom, love, and power were mine, And health and youth possess'd me; My goblets blush'd from every vine, And lovely forms carress'd me; I sunn'd my heart in beauty's eyes, And felt my soul grow tender; All earth can give, or mortal prize, Was mine of regal splendour. I strive to number o'er what days Remembrance can discover, Which all that life or earth displays Would lure me to live over. There rose no day, there roll'd no hour Of pleasure unembitter'd: And not a trapping deck'd my power That gall'd not while it glitter'd. The serpent of the field, by art And spells, is won from harming; But that which coils around the heart, Oh! who hath power of charming? It will not list to wisdom's lore, Nor music's voice can lure it; But there it stings for evermore The soul that must endure it.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "All is vanity, saith the preacher", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 21, 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), "All is vanity", published 1969 [ voice and piano ], from Hebrew melodies, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Isaac Nathan (1790 - 1864), "Fame, wisdom, love and power", published 1815 [ voice and piano ], from A Selection of Hebrew Melodies No. I, no. 21 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Franz Theremin (1780 - 1846) , "Alles ist eitel, spricht der Prediger", appears in Hebräische Gesänge, first published 1820 ; composed by Carl Debrois van Bruyck , M. Henle, Carl Loewe.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Alexis Paulin Pâris) , "Tout est vanité, dit l'Ecclésiaste", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 21
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-02
Line count: 24
Word count: 147
Tout est vanité, dit l'Ecclésiaste
Language: French (Français)  after the English
La gloire, la sagesse, l'amour et la puissance furent à moi; j'avais jeunesse et santé: les vins les plus exquis rougissaient ma coupe, et les plus aimables attraits se prodiguaient à mes caresses. Mon cœur s'embrasait des flammes qui rayonnaient des yeux de la beauté, et je sentais mon ame s'attendrir. Tout ce que la terre peut donner, tout ce que les humains tiennent à haut prix, m'appartenait dans ma splendeur royale. Parmi les jours passés que m'offre le souvenir, je cherche à compter combien de ces jours je serais tenté de passer encore au sein de tous les biens que la vie ou la terre déploie. Aucun jour ne se leva pour moi, aucune heure ne s'écoula sans mêler l'amertume au plaisir: aucun insigne du pouvoir ne me para sans me gêner. Le serpent des forêts se laisse désarmer par des sortiléges et des conjurations; mais le serpent qui s'entrelace autour du cœur, oh ! comment peut-on le charmer ? Il n'écoutera pas la voix de la sagesse, ni ne cédera aux accens de la mélodie; mais son dard importune à jamais l'ame livrée à ce cruel ennemi.
Authorship:
- by Alexis Paulin Pâris (1800 - 1881), "Tout est vanité, dit l'Ecclésiaste", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 21 [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), "All is vanity, saith the preacher", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 21, 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: 24
Word count: 189