To Spring

O Thou with dewy locks, who lookest down
Thro' the clear windows of the morning, turn
Thine angel eyes upon our western isle,
Which in full choir hails thy approach, O Spring! 

The hills tell each other, and the list'ning
Valleys hear; all our longing eyes are turned
Up to thy bright pavilions: issue forth,
And let thy holy feet visit our clime.

Come o'er the eastern hills, and let our winds
Kiss thy perfumed garments; let us taste
Thy morn and evening breath; scatter thy pearls
Upon our love-sick land that mourns for thee.

O deck her forth with thy fair fingers; pour
Thy soft kisses on her bosom; and put
Thy golden crown upon her languish'd head,
Whose modest tresses were bound up for thee.

by William Blake (1757-1827) , "To Spring"

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

by William Henry Bell (1873-1946) , "Spring", 1940, from Twelve Blake Songs, no. 1.
by Harold Blumenfeld (1923-) , "To Spring", 1972-3 [double mixed chorus, with mezzo-soprano and tenor soli, and orchestra], from Songs of Innocence, no. 1.
by Sven Lekberg (1899-1984) , "Come o'er the Eastern Hills", published c1971 [four-part mixed chorus a cappella], New York, G. Schirmer
by Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov (1948-) , "To Spring", op. 28 no. 1, published 1979, first performed 1980 [voice, flute, viola, and harp], from The seasons, no. 1.

RUS Russian [singable] (Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov)

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

Gentle Reminder

This project is not funded. If you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your gift is greatly appreciated!      - Emily I also have a wishlist at Amazon.ca.

K Vesne

Vesna, rosoj resnic blesni s nebes
Skvoz' golubye okna utra, bros'
Vzgljad angela na zapad - ostrov nash
Vsem khorom proslavljajet tvoj prikhod!

Kholmy vosklicajut i doliny
Vnimajut im; vse vzory ustremilis' vvys'
K shatram tvoim nebesnym: o Vesna,
Pridi svjashchennoj postup'ju v nash kraj.

Sojdi s vostochnykh gor i daj vetram
Uvit' tvoi odezhdy, daj vdokhnut'
Tvoj aromat, zhemchuzhiny rassyp'
Po plachushchej, tomjashchejsja zemle.

Jej persi pocelujami osyp',
I lilejnymi perstami vozlozhi
Na tomnuju glavu venec zlatoj
Toj, chto stydlivo kosy rasplela.

Show Cyrillic (Покажите текст в кириллице)
Note on Transliteration

Singable translation by Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov (1948-) , "K Vesne", published 1979, copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

a text in English by William Blake (1757-1827) , "To Spring"

Date added to the website: 2008-02-15.