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Je crois qu’il n’a jamais fait plus noir que ce soir où la sirène pleure au bord du monde en ruines Mais la merveille vaut le prix du désespoir Aussi profil perdu d’amour je te dessine en aveugle et j’attends nocturne de l’enfance que l’enchanteur ranime un oiseau mort de froid Sans avoir révélé le secret de la chance Amour amour toujours dans mon rêve à l’étroit
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Text Authorship:
- by Paul Gilson (1904 - 1963), "San Francisco Night", written 1944, appears in Au Rendez-vous des solitaires, no. 17, Éd. Seghers, first published 1947 [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 Jean-Michel Damase (1928 - 2013), "San Francisco Night", op. 26 no. 5 (1952), published 1954 [ medium voice and piano ], from No Exit - 6 poèmes de Paul Gilson, no. 5, Éd. Salabert [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Henri Dutilleux (1916 - 2013), "San Francisco Night", 1963, published 2002 [ medium voice and piano ], Éd. Alphonse Leduc [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "San Francisco Night", copyright © 2026
Researcher for this page: François Le Roux [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2021-11-11
Line count: 8
Word count: 67
I think it has never been darker than this night where the siren cries at the edge of a ruined world; But the wonder is worth the price of despair, And so, as a fading outline of love, I sketch you blindly; and I wait, a night-creature of childhood, for the enchanter to revive a bird who has frozen to death without revealing the secret of the miracle Love, love, always cramped in my narrow dream
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2026 by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
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Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Paul Gilson (1904 - 1963), "San Francisco Night", written 1944, appears in Au Rendez-vous des solitaires, no. 17, Éd. Seghers, first published 1947
This text was added to the website: 2026-08-06
Line count: 8
Word count: 76