Si j'étais Dieu
Language: French (Français)
Si j'étais Dieu, la mort serait sans proie,
Les hommes seraient bons, j'abolirais l'adieu,
Et nous ne verserions que des larmes de joie,
Si j'étais Dieu.
Si j'étais Dieu, de beaux fruits sans écorces
Mûriraient; le travail ne serait plus qu'un jeu,
Car nous n'agirions plus que pour sentir nos forces,
Si j'étais Dieu.
Si j'étais Dieu, pour toi, celle que j'aime,
Je déploirais un ciel toujours frais, toujours bleu;
Mais je te laisserais, ô mon ange, la même,
Si j'étais Dieu.
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):
- by René de Boisdeffre (1838 - 1906), "Si j'étais Dieu", op. 68 no. 4, published 1896 [ voice and piano ], from Six mélodies, recueil 6, no. 4, Paris, Éd. J. Hamelle [sung text not yet checked]
- by George Enescu (1881 - 1955), "Si j'étais Dieu", 1897/8 [ high voice and piano ], Éd. Hachette [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hercule Gilles de Fontenailles (1858 - 1922), "Si j'étais Dieu", published 1897 [ high voice and piano ], Éd. Durand [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jenő Hubay (1858 - 1937), "Si j'étais Dieu", op. 17 (Cinq mélodies) no. 5, published 1890 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Maude Valérie White (1855 - 1937), "Si j'étais Dieu", published 1893 [ voice and piano ], London, Robert Cocks & Co [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Vrchlický) , "Kdybych byl bohem"
- ENG English (Peter Low) , "If I were God", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Gyula Reviczky)
Researcher for this page: Peter Brixius
This text was added to the website: 2008-04-18
Line count: 12
Word count: 82
If I were God
Language: English after the French (Français)
If I were God, death would claim no victims,,
men would be good, I would abolish farewells,
and we would weep only tears of joy,
if I were God.
If I were God, fine fruit without rinds
would ripen; and work would be just a game,
for we would act only to feel our strength,
if I were God.
If I were God, for you, the woman I love,
I would spread out a sky always cool, always blue;
but I would leave you, my angel, just as you are,
if I were God.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2022 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: 2022-09-23
Line count: 12
Word count: 94
