Rimbaud-Poem | At four o'clock on a summer's morning

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

Translation © by Faith J. Cormier

Rimbaud‑Gedicht

Language: French (Français) after the French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

  À quatre heures du matin, l'été,
  Le sommeil d'amour dure encore.
  Sous les bocages s'évapore
        L'odeur du soir fêté.
 
  Là-bas, dans leur vaste chantier,
  Au soleil des Hespérides,
  Déjà s'agitent, en bras de chemise,
        Les Charpentiers.
 
  Dans leurs Déserts de mousse,
  Tranquilles,  ils préparent
  Les lambris précieux
        Où la ville peindra de faux cieux.
 
  O, pour ces Ouvriers charmants
  Sujets d'un roi de Babylone,
  Vénus! quitte un instant les Amants
        Dont l'âme est en couronne!
 
        O Reine des Bergers,
  Porte aux travailleurs l'eau-de-vie,
  Que leurs forces soient en paix
En attendant le bain dans la mer à midi.

The text shown is a variant of another text. [ View differences ]
It is based on

a text in French (Français) by Arthur Rimbaud (1854 - 1891), "Bonne pensée du matin", written 1872
- Go to the text page.

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

by Hanns Eisler (1898 - 1962), "Rimbaud-Gedicht", subtitle: "Die Franzosen nachahmend", 1942-3, from Hollywooder Liederbuch, no. 47. [
text verified 1 time
]

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

ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , title 1: "Rimbaud-Poem", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Alberto Pedrotti , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 99

Rimbaud‑Poem

Language: English after the French (Français)

At four o'clock on a summer's morning, 
love still sleeps. 
The odors of the evening's revels evaporate 
under the bushes. 

Far off, in their great construction site 
in the Hesperidean sun, 
the carpenters are already 
stripped for action. 

In their mossy deserts, 
they tranquilly prepare 
the precious panels 
on which the city will paint a false heaven. 

Oh, for these charming workmen, 
subjects of the King of Babylon, 
Venus, leave for a moment your lovers 
whose souls are crowned. 

Queen of Shepherds, 
bring the workers the water of life, 
to calm their strength as they wait to swim 
in the sea at noontide.

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2004 by Faith J. Cormier, (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 Not Applicable [an adaptation]
- Go to the text page.

Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Arthur Rimbaud (1854 - 1891), "Bonne pensée du matin", written 1872
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2004-06-27
Line count: 20
Word count: 103