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Devant une neige un Être de Beauté de haute taille.
Des sifflements de mort et des cercles de musique
sourde font monter, s'élargir et trembler comme un
spectre ce corps adoré : des blessures écarlates et
noires éclatent dans les chairs superbes. Les
couleurs propres de la vie se foncent, dansent, et
se dégagent autour de la Vision, sur le chantier.
Et les frissons s'élèvent et grondent, et la
saveur forcenée de ces effets se chargeant avec
les sifflements mortels et les rauques musiques
que le monde, loin derrière nous, lance sur notre
mère de beauté, - elle recule, elle se dresse. Oh !
nos os sont revêtus d'un nouveau corps amoureux.
* * * * * * * *
Ô la face cendrée, l'écusson de crin, les bras de
cristal ! Le canon sur lequel je dois m'abattre à
travers la mêlée des arbres et de l'air léger !
Confirmed with Monographie imprimée (Paris), 1886
Text Authorship:
- by Arthur Rimbaud (1854 - 1891), "Being beauteous", appears in Les Illuminations [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 (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Being beauteous", op. 18 no. 7 (1939), published 1940 [ high voice and strings ], from Les Illuminations, no. 7 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Hans Werner Henze (1926 - 2012), "Being beauteous", 1963, copyright © 1964 [ coloratura soprano, harp, and 4 cellos ], Mainz, Schott ; New York, Associated [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CHI Chinese (中文) (Yen-Chiang Che) , "美的事物", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Ahmed E. Ismail) , "Being Beauteous", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- JPN Japanese (日本語) (Naoyuki Okada) , "美しくあること", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (José Miguel Llata) , "Being beauteous (Ser de Belleza)", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 17
Word count: 145
Ante una nevada, un Ser de Belleza de elevada estatura.
Silbidos de muerte y círculos de música
sorda hacen subir, ensancharse y temblar como un
espectro a este cuerpo adorado; heridas escarlatas y
negras estallan en las carnes magníficas. Los
colores propios de la vida se oscurecen, danzan, y
se disipan en torno a la Visión, en el taller.
Y los escalofríos se levantan y gruñen, y el
furioso sabor de estos efectos cargándose
de los silbidos mortales y las roncas músicas
que el mundo, allá lejos tras nosotros, lanza sobre nuestra
madre de belleza, ella retrocede, se yergue. ¡Oh!,
nuestros huesos se han revestido de un nuevo cuerpo enamorado.
* * * * * * * *
¡Oh la faz cenicienta, el escudo de crin, los brazos de
cristal! ¡El cañón sobre el que debo arrojarme
por entre la maraña de árboles y el aire leve!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to Spanish (Español) copyright © 2014 by José Miguel Llata, (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 Arthur Rimbaud (1854 - 1891), "Being beauteous", appears in Les Illuminations
This text was added to the website: 2014-02-07
Line count: 17
Word count: 147