by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)
Translation by Alexis Paulin Pâris (1800 - 1881)
I speak not ‑‑ I trace not ‑‑ I breathe...
Language: English
I speak not -- I trace not -- I breathe not thy name, There is grief in the sound, there were guilt in the fame; But the tear which now burns on my cheek may impart The deep thoughts that dwell in that silence of heart. Too brief for our passion, too long for our peace, Were those hours, can their joy or their bitterness cease? We repent -- we abjure -- we will break from our chain, We will part -- we will fly -- to unite it again! Oh! thine be the gladness, and mine be the guilt! Forgive me adored one -- forsake if thou wilt; But the heart which I bear shall expire undebased, And man shall not break it -- whatever thou may'st. And stern to the haughty, but humble to thee, My soul, in its bitterest blackness shall be; And our days seem as swift -- and our moments more sweet With thee by my side -- than the world at our feet. One sigh of thy sorrow -- one look of thy love Shall turn me or fix, shall reward or reprove; And the heartless may wonder at all we resign, Thy lip shall reply not to them -- but to mine.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "I speak not -- I trace not -- I breathe not", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 26, 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 Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , "I speak not -- I trace not -- I breathe not", published 1840 [ medium voice and piano ], from A Set of Five Songs [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Edmund Grimshaw (1864 - ?), "I breathe not thy name", op. 2 no. 3, published 1884 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Cyril Bertram Lander , "Stanzas for music" [ high voice and piano ], from Flores de mi primavera [sung text not yet checked]
- by Isaac Nathan (1790 - 1864), "I speak not -- I trace not -- I breathe not", published 1815 [ voice and piano ], from A Selection of Hebrew Melodies No. I, no. 26 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by George Schmidt , "I speak not, I trace not", published 1851 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Alexis Paulin Pâris) , "Chanson", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 26
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-08-08
Line count: 20
Word count: 197
Chanson
Language: French (Français)  after the English
Je ne dis pas, je n'écris pas, je ne murmure pas ton nom: le son m'en serait pénible; je serais coupable de le divulguer. Mais cette larme qui brûle ma joue décèle les pensées profondes qui assiègent mon cœur silencieux. Ces heures ont été trop courtes pour notre passion, trop longues pour notre repos ! -- Leur joie ou leur amertume pourrait-elle cesser ? Nous nous repentons, -- nous abjurons notre amour, -- nous voulons rompre notre chaîne,- nous voulons nous séparer, -- nous voulons nous fuir -- pour nous unir encore ! Oh ! que le bonheur t'appartienne, que la faute ne soit qu'à moi ! Pardonne-moi, femme adorée ! -- oublie-moi, si tu veux; -- mais ce cœur qui est à toi expirera sans s'abaisser ou s'avilir: et jamais homme ne le brisera; -- quoique toi tu en aies le pouvoir. Fière avec les superbes, mais humble avec toi, sera toujours cette ame, dans sa noirceur la plus amère. Quand tu es à mes côtés, les jours passent plus rapidement; et tous les momens me paraissent plus doux que si des mondes étaient à mes pieds. Un soupir de ta douleur, un regard de ton amour, fixera, changera mon sort. Ceux qui n'ont point d'ame s'étonneront de tout ce que j'abandonne pour toi; tes lèvres répondront, non aux leurs, mais aux miennes.
Authorship:
- by Alexis Paulin Pâris (1800 - 1881), "Chanson", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 26 [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), "I speak not -- I trace not -- I breathe not", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 26, 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: 20
Word count: 216