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Au fleuve le ruisseau se mêle, Et le fleuve à la mer Au vent la brise unit son aîle, Se confond dans l'air! Femme, c'est la loi supreême! Ange, c'est la douce loi! Tout vent s'unir à ce qu'il aime! M'aimes-tu, dis-moi? Vois les cieux dorer les cîmes! Vois s'unir les flots heureux! Vois se pencher sur les abîmes ces lierres amoureux! Le soleil étreint la terre! L'oiseau chante et pleure, hélas! Pourquoi ce divin mystère Si tu n'aimes pas! Comme ces rayons de flamme, Et ces flots, et ces zéphirs, Mon âme cherche dans ton âme L'écho de ses soupirs! Comme ces oiseaux fidèles, Dans le nid de leurs amours, Blottis et pliant leurs ailes, Aimons nous toujours!
Text Authorship:
- by (Paul) Jules Barbier (1825 - 1901) [an adaptation] [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 - 1822), "Love's philosophy"
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Charles Gounod (1818 - 1893), "Aimons-nous!", CG 449 (1871), published 1871 [ voice and piano ], also set in English [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Ida Goldschmidt, née Livingston (1863 - 1933) ; composed by Roger Quilter.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by George John Bennett.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Konstantin Dmitrevich Bal'mont (1867 - 1942) , "Философия любви" ; composed by Aleksandra Vasilyevna Zheleznova.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (David Seay) , "Let us love", copyright © 2018, (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: 24
Word count: 119
Streams merge into the river, And rivers into the sea. The breeze unites with the wind, his senior, They blend in the air! Mademoiselle, this is the law supreme! Dear Angel, this is the sweet law! Winds unite with what they love! Do you love me? Tell me. See the heavens adorn the mountains! See the blissful waves embrace each other! See, entwined on the ledge, the ivy of lovers! The sun hugs the earth! The bird sings and weeps, alas! To what end is this divine mystery If you too do not love! Like the flaming rays of sunlight, And the waves, and zéphyros winds, My soul seeks in your soul The echo of his sighs! Like these faithful birds In the nest of their love, Huddled and clasped in their wings, Let us love forever!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2018 by David Seay, (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.
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Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by (Paul) Jules Barbier (1825 - 1901) [an adaptation]
Based on:
- a text in English by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 - 1822), "Love's philosophy"
This text was added to the website: 2018-02-09
Line count: 24
Word count: 137