Ode anacréontique

Laissez-moi boire, au nom des Dieux,
Je veux devenir furieux en buvant.
Orestes aux pieds blancs
Et Alkmaion devinrent furieux
Après avoir tué leurs mères ;
Mais moi qui n'ai tué personne,
Je veux devenir furieux
Après avoir bu du bon vin, furieux !
Laissez-moi boire ! boire, au nom des Dieux,
Autrefois Hérakles entra en fureur
Et fit tout trembler,
Avec l'art et le carquois guerrier d'Iphithéios.
Ajax furieux, furieux aussi faisait rage,
Avec son bouclier à sept peaux
Et avec l'épée d Hector, il faisait rage !
Et moi, le front ceint de fleurs,
Sans bouclier ni épée, mais la coupe en main,
Laissez-moi boire, je veux ! je veux devenir furieux !

by Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle (1818-1894)

a text in Greek by Anacreon (c582BCE-c485BCE) , from Odes, no. 9 [text unavailable] ENG

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

by Ethel Mary Smyth, Dame (1858-1944) , "Ode anacréontique", 1907 [mezzo-soprano and chamber orchestra], from Four Songs, no. 4.

ENG English (Ethel Mary Smyth, Dame)

Date added to the website: 2009-07-01.

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Anacreontic Ode

Ho! bring me wine an to the gods be drain'd the bowl!
I would fain be fill'd with the frenzy of wine,
yea, be mad, mad with wine!
Madness felle on Orestes, youth white foot,
whose hand, like unto Alcmaeon's
with a mother's blood was stained!
But I, whose hand shed the blood of no man,
I will drink till madness shall seize me,
madness begot of good wine, ho!
For I will drink unto the gods, til I be made with wine!
Once in the days of yore Hercules
possesed made all heards to quake for fear,
with the bow and the quiver of warlike young Iphitus,
thus too did Ajax, infuriate, madly storm and rage,
with shield held aloft, his mighty shield of seven hides,
while the sword of great Hector be swung, madly raging!
And I, my brow crown'd with flowers
girt not with buckler and sword, but cup in hand,
I fain would be mad with frenzy of wine.

by Ethel Mary Smyth, Dame (1858-1944) , "Anacreontic Ode", 1907?

a text in French by Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle (1818-1894) FRE

a text in Greek by Anacreon (c582BCE-c485BCE) , from Odes, no. 9 [text unavailable] ENG

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 ]

Date added to the website: 2009-07-01.