Are you awake? | Are you awake, sun-smell of my body

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by Charles van Lerberghe (1861 - 1907)

Translation © by Peter Low

Veilles‑tu, ma senteur de soleil

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG GER

Veilles-tu, ma senteur de soleil,
Mon arôme d'abeilles blondes,
Flottes-tu sur le monde,
Mon doux parfum de miel?

La nuit, lorsque mes pas
Dans le silence rôdent,
M'annonces-tu, senteur de mes lilas,
Et de mes roses chaudes?

Suis-je comme une grappe de fruits
Cachés dans les feuilles,
Et que rien ne décèle,
Mais qu'on odore dans la nuit?

Sait-il à cette heure,
Que j'entr'ouvre ma chevelure,
Et qu'elle respire?
Le sent-il sur la terre?

Sent-il que j'étends les bras
Et que des lys de mes vallées,
Ma voix qu'il n'entend pas
Est embaumée?

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Charles van Lerberghe (1861 - 1907), no title, written 1904, appears in La Chanson d'Ève, in 2. La Tentation, no. 10, Paris, Éd. du Mercure de France, first published 1904 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

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

by Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924), "Veilles-tu, ma senteur de soleil", op. 95 no. 7 (1906), published 1906 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from La Chanson d'Ève, no. 7, Éd. Heugel [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Vetlles tu, la meva flaire de sol", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Pieter van der Woel) , "Wek je, geur van mijn huid", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Peter Low) , "Are you awake?", copyright © 2000, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Bist du schon wach, mein Sonnenduft", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 93

Are you awake?

Language: English after the French (Français)

 Are you awake, sun-smell of my body,
 my scent of blond bees?
 Are you wafting on the world,
 my sweet perfume of honey?
 
 At night when my footsteps
 roam in the silence,
 do you announce my presence,
 fragrance of my lilacs and warm roses?
 
 Am I like a bunch of fruit
 hidden in the leaves
 which nothing makes visible
 but which can be smelt at night?
 
 Does he know at this moment
 that I'm loosening my hair
 and that it breathes;
 can he smell it on the ground?
 
 Can he sense that I'm reaching out my arms
 and that my voice which he does not hear
 is perfumed
 with the lilies of my valleys?

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2000 by Peter Low, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Charles van Lerberghe (1861 - 1907), no title, written 1904, appears in La Chanson d'Ève, in 2. La Tentation, no. 10, Paris, Éd. du Mercure de France, first published 1904
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 115