The Wild Gazelle

The wild Gazelle on Judah's hills,
Exulting yet may bound,
And drink from all the living rills
That gush on holy ground:
Its airy step and glorious eye
May glance in tameless transport by -- 

A step as fleet, an eye more bright,
Hath Judah witness'd there;
And o'er her scenes of lost delight
Inhabitants more fair,
The cedars wave on Lebanon,
But Judah's statelier maids are gone!

More blest each palm that shades those plains 
Than Israel's scatter'd race;
For taking root it there remains 
In solitary grace.
It cannot quit the place of birth, 
It will not live in other earth.

But we must wander witheningly,
In other lands ta die;
And where aun fathers' ashes be,
Our awn may never lie.
Our temple hath nat left a stone.
And mockery sits on Salem's throne.

by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788-1824) , "The wild Gazelle", from Hebrew Melodies, no. 4

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Isaac Nathan (1790-1864) , "The Wild Gazelle", published 1815, from A Selection of Hebrew Melodies No. I, no. 4.

by Johann Karl Gottfried Loewe (1796-1869) , "Die wilde Gazelle", op. 5 no. 3 (1824).

Date added to the website: 2003-11-04.

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Die wilde Gazelle

Gazelle, die so wild und schnell 
auf Juda's Bergen springt, 
und aus lebend'gem Sprudelquell 
auf heil'gem Boden trinkt, 
wie du so luftig schwebst und kühn, 
kann wohl dein Aug' vor Freuden glühn?

Ach andrer Füsse leichten Tanz, 
auf den geliebten Höh'n, 
und einen hellern Augenglanz 
hat Juda sonst gesehn. 
Die Cedern wehn nach immer fort, 
die schönern Jungfraun sind nicht dort.

Beneiden, heimathlos Geschlecht, 
musst dort du jeden Baum. 
Er bleibt, in dem er Wurzeln schlägt, 
und ziert der Wüste Raum. 
Im Mutterboden festgebannt, 
kann er nicht blühn im fremden Land.

Wir suchen uns, des Leides Raub 
ein Grab in fremder Welt; 
es wird zu unsrer Väter Staub 
nicht unser Staub gesellt:
Zerstörung sitzt und grinset Hohn 
auf Juda's umgestürztem Thron.

by Franz Theremin (1780-1846)

a text in English by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788-1824) , "The wild Gazelle", from Hebrew Melodies, no. 4

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Johann Karl Gottfried Loewe (1796-1869) , "Die wilde Gazelle", op. 5 no. 3 (1824).

Date added to the website: 2003-11-04.