John Howard Payne was America's first international
actor-dramatist. Though he was a prolific playwright, he is best remembered for
his song "Home, Sweet Home" from his opera Clari, performed first at
Covent Garden on May 8, 1823. Payne was born in New York City on June 9, 1791.
Against his family's wishes he early took to the theater. He edited his own
newspaper, the Thespian Mirror, "to promote the interests of American
drama," when he was 14. The following year his first play was produced. He made
his debut as an actor in 1809 as young Norvall in Douglas by John Home
and was an immediate sensation. By 1813, however, Payne's popularity had waned
and he left for England. This sensitive, unstable, charming man spent the next
20 years in Europe. Though Payne first acted and later wrote prolifically for
the theater, he was constantly chased by creditors and became famous without
becoming prosperous. He acted as American consul at Tunis from 1842 to 1851
until his death a year later.
|
 |
|
John Howard Payne
(1791-1852) |
| |
Home, Sweet Home
'Mid pleasures and palaces though we
may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home;
A charm from the sky seems to hallow us there,
Which, seek through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere.
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!
An exile from home, splendor dazzles in vain;
Oh, give me my lowly thatched cottage again!
The birds singing gayly, that come at my call --
Give me them -- and the peace of mind, dearer than all!
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!
I gaze on the moon as I tread the drear wild,
And feel that my mother now thinks of her child,
As she looks on that moon from our own cottage door
Thro' the woodbine, whose fragrance shall cheer me no more.
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!
How sweet 'tis to sit 'neath a fond father's smile,
And the caress of a mother to soothe and beguile!
Let others delight mid new pleasures to roam,
But give me, oh, give me, the pleasures of home.
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!
To thee I'll return, overburdened with care;
The heart's dearest solace will smile on me there;
No more from that cottage again will I roam;
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
Home, home, sweet, sweet, home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!
John Howard Payne |
|
|
About this poem: Clari is a country maiden confined at court by
the Duke, who is infatuated with her and has lured her from her home
with a false promise of marriage. She sings this song at her entrance in
Act I.
The popularity of this, one of the most-loved songs in America, can be
witnessed by the film of The Wizard of Oz (1939) when Dorothy, played by Judy
Garland, quotes its refrain.
'mid = 'amid: entre, en medio de
roam = wander: erremos, vaguemos, recorramos sin rumbo fijo
be it ever so humble: aunque humilde, sencillo, simple
charm = magic incantation: encanto mágico, hechizo
hallow us = make us holy: bendecirnos, santificarnos
seek = look for: buscar
ne'er = never
an exile = banished person: exiliado, desterrado
splendor dazzles in vain: el lujo deslumbra en vano
lowly = modest, humble: modesto, humilde
thatched = covered with straw: cubierto de paja
roam: vaguemos, recorramos sin rumbo fijo
gaze: miro, me embeleso con
tread: piso al caminar
thro' = through
woodbine: madreselva (planta trepadora de fragante perfume)
'tis = it is
'neath = beneath: debajo de
beguile: entretener, pasar el tiempo
to thee = to you
overburdened: sobrecargado, oprimido |
|
All
contents is for educational and informational use only. All poems
and recording excerpts remain the right of the original copyright holder, and no infringment is
here intended / Todo
el contenido es pura y exclusivamente para uso educativo e informativo. Todos
poemas y fragmentos de audio continúan permaneciendo al poseedor original de los derechos autorales, no existiendo aquí intención alguna de infringir la ley. |
|
