In an immense field | In an immense field

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by Paul de Chazot (1802 - 1880)

Translation © by Laura Prichard

Dans la plaine immense

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: CAT ENG

Dans la plaine immense,
Le travail commence
Aux feux du matin,
Au doux chant des merles,
Quand d'humides perles
Tremblant sur le thym,
Enfants, jeunes filles,
prenez vos faucilles
Coupez blés et fleurs;
Quand la plaine est blonde,
Chantez votre ronde,
Joyeux moissonneurs.
Chantez, chantez, joyeux moissonneurs.

Fauchez sans relâche,
Hardis à la tâche,
Fauchez le sillon,
Les épis superbes
Qui roulent leurs gerbes
Dans un tourbillon;
La vive alouette 
Se lêve inquiète,
Craignant pour son nid;
La jeune couvée
Sera préservée,
Car Dieu la bénit.
Chantez, chantez, joyeux moissonneurs.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Paul de Chazot (1802 - 1880) [author's text not yet checked 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), "Dans la plaine immense" [sung text checked 1 time]
by Jean-Baptiste Faure (1830 - 1914), "La ronde des moissonneurs" [ high voice and piano ], from Premier recueil de vingt-cinq Mélodies chant et piano de J. Faure, no. 10, Édition Heugel 'Au Ménestrel' [sung text not yet checked]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "In an immense field", copyright © 2016, (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: 26
Word count: 90

In an immense field

Language: English after the French (Français)

In an immense field,
The work commences
At the first flames of dawn,
To the sweet song of blackbirds,
When heavy dewdrops
Tremble on [stalks of] thyme.
Children, young girls,
Take up your sickles
To cut wheat and flowers;
Once the crop has dried¹,
Sing your round,
Joyful reapers².
Sing, sing, joyful reapers.

Reap without a break,
Bold in your task,
Clear the furrow,
[Of] the beautiful husks
Which blow around the sheaves
Like a whirlwind;
The lively lark 
Rises up worried,
Fearing for her nest;
The young brood
will be preseved,
For God blesses them.
Sing, sing, joyful reapers.

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ literally, has become blonde, fading from green to gold
² i.e., those who do the cutting of plants, when harvesting a crop

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Prichard, (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 Paul de Chazot (1802 - 1880)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2016-05-17
Line count: 26
Word count: 104