Meghan Mair: Lyrics and Translations

April 2, 2025

Banyan Tree

from Fi Mi Love Have Lion Heart by Peter Ashbourne
Text by: Louise Benett-Coverley

Moonshine shine tonight
Come mek wi dance na sing

Mi deh rock suh
Yuh deh rock suh
Under banyan tree

Ladies mek curtsy
Gentelmen mek bow

Mi deh rock suh
Yuh deh rock suh
Under banyan tree

Den we join hands
Na’ dance a round na’ round

Mi deh rock suh
Yuh deh rock suh
Under banyan tree

Se tu Mami

by Alessandro Parisotti
Text by: Paolo Rolli

Se tu m'ami, se tu sospiri
Sol per me, gentil pastor,
Ho dolor de' tuoi martiri,
Ho diletto del tuo amor,
Ma se pensi che soletto
Io ti debba riamar,
Pastorello, sei soggetto
Facilmente a t'ingannar.

Bella rosa porporina
Oggi Silvia sceglierà,
Con la scusa della spina
Doman poi la sprezzerà.
Ma degli uomini il consiglio
Io per me non seguirò.
Non perché mi piace il giglio
Gli altri fiori sprezzerò.

Translation

If you love me, if you sigh
for me, gentle shepherd,
your pain hurts me,
yet I delight in your love.
But if you think that
I must return my love only to you,
then, shepherd boy, you are
easily deceived.

A beautiful purple rose
Silvia will choose today -
because of its thorns,
she will despise it tomorrow.
But men's advice
I will not follow.
Just because I love the lily,
I will not despise the other flowers.

Lydia, Op. 4, No. 2

by Gabriel Fauré
Text by: Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle

Lydia sur tes roses joues,
Et sur ton col frais et si blanc,
Roule étincelant1
L'or fluide que tu dénoues.

Le jour qui luit est le meilleur:
Oublions l'éternelle tombe.
Laisse tes baisers de colombe
Chanter sur ta lèvre en fleur.

Un lys caché répand sans cesse
Une odeur divine en ton sein:
Les délices, comme un essaim,
Sortent de toi, jeune Déesse!

Je t'aime et meurs, ô mes amours!
Mon âme en baisers m'est ravie.
O Lydia, rends-moi la vie,
Que je puisse mourir toujours!

Translation

Lydia, over your rosy cheeks,
and over your neck, so fresh and white,
sparkling, rolls
the fluid gold that you untie.

The day which is gleaming is the best:
let us forget the eternal tomb.
Let your dove's kisses
sing on your blossoming lips.

A hidden lily ceaselessly diffuses
a divine scent in your breast:
like a swarm, delights
escape from you, young Goddess!

I love you and am dying, o my loves!
My soul is ravished by kisses.
O Lydia, give me back my life,
that I might die eternally!

Frühlingstraum from Winterreise, No. 11

by Franz Schubert
Text by: Wilhelm Müller

Ich träumte von bunten Blumen,
So wie sie wohl blühen im Mai,
Ich träumte von grünen Wiesen,
Von lustigem Vogelgeschrei.

Und als die Hähne krähten,
Da ward mein Auge wach;
Da war es kalt und finster,
Es schrieen die Raben vom Dach.

Doch an den Fensterscheiben
Wer malte die Blätter da?
Ihr lacht wohl über den Träumer,
Der Blumen im Winter sah?

Ich träumte von Lieb’ um Liebe,
Von einer schönen Maid,
Von Herzen und von Küssen,
Von Wonne und Seligkeit.

Und als die Hähne krähten,
Da ward mein Herze wach;
Nun sitz’ ich hier alleine
Und denke dem Traume nach.

Die Augen schliess’ ich wieder,
Noch schlägt das Herz so warm.
Wann grünt ihr Blätter am Fenster?
Wann halt’ ich mein Liebchen im Arm?

Translation

I dreamt of bright flowers
that blossom in May;
I dreamt of green meadows
and merry bird-calls.

And when the cocks crowed
my eyes awoke:
it was cold and dark,
ravens cawed from the roof.

But there, on the window panes,
who had painted the leaves?
Are you laughing at the dreamer
who saw flowers in winter?

I dreamt of mutual love,
of a lovely maiden,
of embracing and kissing,
of joy and rapture.

And when the cocks crowed
my heart awoke;
now I sit here alone
and reflect upon my dream.

I close my eyes again,
my heart still beats so warmly.
Leaves on my window, when will you turn green?
When shall I hold my love in my arms?

Hai Luli from 6 Mélodies et une havanaise

by Pauline Viardot
Text by: Xavier de Maistre

Je suis triste, je mʹinquiète,
je ne sais plus que devenir.
Mon bon ami devait venir,
et je lʹattends ici seulette.
Haï luli! Haï luli!
Où donc peut être mon ami?

Je mʹassieds pour filer ma laine,
le fil se casse dans ma main ...
Allons, je filerai demain;
aujourd'hui je suis trop en peine!
Haï luli! Haï luli!
Quʹil fait triste sans son ami!

Ah! s'il est vrai qu'il soit volage,
sʹil doit un jour mʹabandonner,
le village nʹa quʹà brûler,
et moi-même avec le village!
Haï luli! Haï luli!
A quoi bon vivre sans ami?

Translation

I am sad, I am anxious,
I no longer know what’s to become of me.
My lover was to have come,
And I wait for him here alone.
Hai luli, hai luli,
How sad it is without my lover!
I sit down to spin my wool,
The thread snaps in my hand:
Well then! I shall spin tomorrow,
Today I am too upset.
Hai luli, hai luli,
Where can my lover be?

Ah! If it’s true that he’s unfaithful,
And will one day abandon me,
Then let the village burn
And me too along with the village!
Hai luli, hai luli,
What point is there in living without a lover?

Nachtlied, Op. 71, No. 6

by Felix Mendelssohn
Text by: Joseph von Eichendorff

Vergangen ist der lichte Tag,
Von ferne kommt der Glocken Schlag;
So reist die Zeit die ganze Nacht,
Nimmt manchen mit, der’s nicht gedacht.

Wo ist nun hin die bunte Lust,
Des Freundes Trost und treue Brust,
Der Liebsten süßer Augenschein?
Will keiner mit mir munter sein?

Frisch auf denn, liebe Nachtigall,
Du Wasserfall mit hellem Schall!
_Gott_ loben wollen wir vereint,
Bis daß der lichte Morgen scheint!

Translation

Daylight has departed,
The sound of bells comes from afar;
Thus time moves on throughout the night,
Taking many an unwitting soul.

Where now is all the garish joy,
The comforting breast of a faithful friend,
The sweet light of the loved one’s eyes?
Will no one stay awake with me?

Strike up then, dear nightingale,
You cascade of bright sound!
Together we shall praise _God_,
Until the light of morning dawns!

Tyndaris from Étude Latines No. 7

by Reynaldo Hahn
Text by: Paul Verlaine

Ô blanche Tyndaris, les Dieux me sont amis:
Ils aiment les Muses Latines;
Et l'aneth et le myrte et le thym des collines
Croissent aux prés qu'ils m'ont soumis

Viens; mes ramiers chéris, aux voluptés plaintives
Ici se plaisent à gémir;
Et sous l'épais feuillage il est doux de dormir
Au bruit des sources fugitives

Translation

O white Tyndaris, the Gods are my friends:
They love the Latin Muses;
And the dill and the myrtle and the thyme of the hills
Grow in the meadows that they have submitted to me

Come; my beloved wood pigeons, with their plaintive pleasures
Here take pleasure in moaning;
And under the thick foliage it is sweet to sleep
At the edge of the fleeting springs

Die Mainacht from 6 Lieder, Op. 9

by Fanny Mendelssohn
Text by: Ludwig Christoph Heinrich Hölty

Wenn der silberne Mond durch die Gesträuche blinkt,
Und sein schlummerndes Licht über den Rasen streut,
Und die Nachtigall flötet,
Wandl' ich traurig von Busch zu Busch.

Selig preis' ich dich dann, flötende Nachtigall,
Weil dein Weibchen mit dir wohnet in Einem Nest,
Ihrem singenden Gatten
Tausend trauliche Küsse giebt.

Überhüllet von Laub girret ein Taubenpaar
Sein Entzücken mir vor; aber ich wende mich,
Suche dunklere Schatten,
Und die einsame Thräne rinnt.

Translation

When the silver moon shines through the shrubbery
and casts its drowsy light over the grass;
when the nightingale warbles,
I wander mournfully from bush to bush.

Then I deem you blessed, fluting nightingale,
because your sweetheart dwells with you in a single
nest, and gives a thousand loving kisses
to her warbling mate.

Concealed in foliage, a pair of doves
coo to me in delight; but I turn away
in search of deeper shadows,
and shed a solitary tear.

Élégie

by Jules Massenet
Text by: Louis Gallet

Ô doux printemps d'autrefois, vertes saisons, vous
avez fui pour toujours ! Je ne vois plus le ciel bleu ; je
n'entends plus les chants joyeux des oiseaux ! En
emportant mon bonheur, Ô bien-aimé, tu t'en es allé !
Et c'est en vain que revient le printemps ! Oui ! Sans
retour, avec toi, le gai soleil, les jours riants sont partis !
Comme en mon coeur tout est sombre et glacé,
tout est flétri pour toujours !

Translation

O sweet Spring of yesteryear, green seasons, you have
fled forever! I no longer see the blue sky, I no longer
hear the joyous songs of the birds! You have fled, my
love, and with you has fled my happiness. And it is in
vain that the spring returns! For along with you, the
cheerful sun, the laighing days have gone! As my
heart is dark and frozen, so all is withered for evermore!

4 Canzonas

by Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

I. Non t’accoster all’urna

Text by: Jacopo Vittorelli

Non t’accostar all’ urna,
Che l’osse mie rinserra,
Questa pietosa terra
E’ sacra al mio dolor.

Ricuso i tuoi giacinti
Non voglio i tuoi pianti:
Che giovan agli estinti
Due lagrime, due fior?

Empia! Dovevi allor
Porgermi un fil d’aita,
Quando traea la vita
In grembo dei sospir.

Ah che d’inutil pianto
Assordi la foresta?
Rispetta un’ombra mesta,
E lasciala dormir.

Translation

Do not approach the urn
which contains my bones;
this compassionate earth
is sacred to my sorrow.

I refuse your flowers,
I do not want your weeping;
what use to the dead
are a few tears and a few flowers?

Cruel one! You should have come
to help me
when my life was ebbing away
in slight and suffering.

With what futile weeping
do you assail the woods?
Respect a sad shade,
and let it sleep.

II. Guarda che bianca la luna

Text by: Jacopo Vittorelli

Guarda che bianca luna!
Guarda che notte azzurra!
Un’aura non susurra,
Nò, non tremola uno stel.

L’usignuoletto solo
Va dalla siepe all’orno,
E sospirando intorno
Chiami la sua fedel.

Ella ch’ el sente oppena,
Vien di fronda in fronda,
E pare che gli dica,
Nò, non piangere: son qui.

Che gemiti son questi!
Che dolci pianti Irene,
Tu mai non me sapesti
Rispondere così!

Translation

Look how bright the moon is,
and how blue the night!
Not a breeze whispers,
not a twig quivers.

A lone nightingale
flies from the hedge to the elm-tree,
and sighing all the while
calls to his faithful love.

She, who scarcely hears him,
flies from leaf to leaf,
and seems to say to him:
‘No, do not weep. I am here!’

What tears,
what sweet laments, Irene!
You could never
answer me thus.

III. Da quell sembiante appresi

Text by: Pietro Metastasio

Da quel sembiante appresi
A sospirand’ amore
Sempre per quel sembiante
Sospirerò d’amore.

La face a cui m’accesi
Solo m’alletta e piace,
È fredda ogn’altra face
Per riscaldarmi il cuore.

From that face I learnt
to sigh with love;
for that face
I shall always sigh with love.

The flame which kindled my love
alone delights and pleases me.
Every other flame is too cold
to warm my heart.

IV. Mio ben ricordati

Text by: Pietro Metastasio

Mio ben ricordati,
Se avvien, ch’io mora:
Quanto quest’ anima
Fedel t’amò.

E se pur amano
Le fredde ceneri:
Nell’ urna ancora
T’adorerò.

Translation

Remember, beloved,
if it should happen that I die,
how this faithful soul
loved you.

And if cold ashes
can love
in the urn,
I shall shall love you.

Refuge From: Love Songs Vol. II

by Matthew Emery
Text by: Sara Teasdale

From my spirit’s grey defeat
From my pulses flagging beat
From my hopes that turn to sand
Sifting through my closed clenched hands

From my own faults slavery
If I can sing
I still am free
For with my singing
I can make a refuge

For my spirits sake
A house of shining words
To be my fragile immortality

Nobody's Business

from Fi Mi Love Have Lion Heart by Peter Ashbourne
Text by: Louise Benett-Coverley

Solomon grandpa gawn a Ecuador
Lef him wife and pickney outadoor
Nobody’s business but him own

Solomon granma swear she naw go beg
Tief weh all ‘bra Sammy fowl na egg
Nobody’s business but she own

Nobody’s business, business
Nobody’s business, business
Nobody’s business but me own

If ah married to a Nayga man
an ‘ah lef him for a Chiney man
Nobody’s business but me own

If ah even old like Tagg oram
an ah wan’ to pose like Twenty one
Nobody’s business but me own

Nobody’s business, business
Nobody’s business, business
Nobody’s business but me own

Evening Time

by Barbara Ferland
Text by: Louise Benett-Coverley

Come Miss Claire
Tek de bankra off yu head mi dear
Evening breeze a blow
Come dis way Miss Flo

Help down yah
Afta yu no beas’ a burd’n mah
Ress yuh self at ease
Feel di evenin’ breeze

Evenin’ time
Work is over now is evenin’ time
Wih deh walk pon mountain
Deh walk pan mountain
Deh walk pan mountain side
Meck we cook wih bickle pan dih way
Meck wih eat an sing
Dance an play ring ding
Pan dih mountain side

Ketch up dih fire Ma’hta
Pass me dih gungo peas
Rub up dih flour Sarah – Lawd!
Feel di evenin’ breeze

Come Maas John
Tek de bungle off yuh back mi son
Evening breeze a blow
Come dis way Maas Joe

Help down yah
Afta yuh no beas’ a burd’n sah
Ress yuhself at ease
Feel di evening breeze

Evenin’ time
Work is over now is evenin’ time
Wih deh walk pon mountain
Deh walk pan mountain
Deh walk pan mountain side
Meck we cook wih bickle pan dih way
Meck wih eat an sing
Dance an play ring ding
Pan dih mountain side

All day wi brukin rock stone
Out inna di boilin sun
All day wi wuk pon road side – Lawd!
Pray she work time done