by
Arthur Justin Léon Leclère (1874 - 1966), as Tristan Klingsor
Le voyage
Language: French (Français)
Mais non, mieux vaut rester ici
Et conserver l'illusion charmante,
la nuit s'en vient avec sa mante
Toute brodée d'étoiles d'or ;
Le ciel violacé s'obscurcit,
Et la ville, au bord de l'eau qui chante,
Mystérieusement s'endort.
Et moi aussi, ce soir d'automne,
J'écouterai dans mon sommeil,
Par la croisée la vieille mer
Et sa berceuse monotone
Tout bas jouée par d'invisibles instruments,
Et le merveilleux mensonge inventé
Par l'enchanteur de cette heure brève
Me sera sans doute plus cher demain encore,
Car le songe est plus beau que la réalité,
Car les plus beaux pays sont ceux que l'on ignore,
Et le plus beau voyage est celui fait en rêve.
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Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Peter Low) , "Travel", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Marc Lerique-Koechlin
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2013-06-03
Line count: 18
Word count: 110
Travel
Language: English after the French (Français)
But no, it's better to stay here
and not lose the charming illusion;
here is night coming with her great cape
all embroidered with golden stars;
the purple sky is darkening,
and the town, beside the singing waters,
is mysteriously falling asleep.
And I too, this autumn evening,
will listen in my sleep
as the ocean outside the window
plays her monotonous lullaby
very softly on invisible instruments;
and the marvellous lie invented
by the enchanter of this brief hour
will doubtless tomorrow be even more cherished,
for dreaming is more beautiful than reality,
the loveliest countries are those you do not know,
and the loveliest trip is the one you make in dream.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 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:
This text was added to the website: 2016-02-15
Line count: 18
Word count: 114
