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Le ciel est noir Et le soleil se traine À peine ! De désespoir Ma pauvre âme incertaine Est pleine ! La blonde enfant se rit de mes tendres chansons, Et sur son cœur l'hiver promène ses glaçons ! Ange rêvé, Ton amour qui fait vivre M'enivre, Et j'ai bravé Pour te voir, pour te suivre Le givre. Hélas ! Sous mes baisers et leur douce chaleur, Je n'ai pu dissiper les neiges de ton cœur ! Ah ! que demain A ton âme convienne La mienne, Et que ma main Amoureusement tienne La tienne ! Le soleil brillera là-haut dans nôtre ciel, Et de ton cœur l'amour forcera le dégel !
Confirmed with Jules Verne, Le Pays des fourrures, Paris, Jules Férat, 1873, page 164. The poem appears within this fictional novel as a translation by one of the characters, Mrs. Paulina Barnett, of a Greenlandic saga. Here is the passage preceding the poem: "Kalumah chantait aussi, d’une voix assez douce, des chansons d’un rythme singulier, chansons froides, glaciales, mélancoliques et d’une coupe étrange. Mrs. Paulina Barnett eut la patience de traduire une de ces « sagas » groënlandaises, curieux échantillon de la poésie hyperboréenne, auquel un air triste, entrecoupé de pauses, procédant par intervalles bizarres, prêtait une indéfinissable couleur. Voici, d’ailleurs, un spécimen de cette poésie, copié sur l’album même de la voyageuse."
Text Authorship:
- by Jules Verne (1828 - 1905), "Chanson groënlandaise", appears in Le Pays des fourrures, chapter XIX, Une visite de voisinage [author's text checked 1 time 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 Alfredo Catalani (1854 - 1893), "Chanson groënlandaise", published 1878, also set in Italian (Italiano) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Cécile Chaminade (1857 - 1944), "Chanson groënlandaise", published 1892? [ voice and piano ], Paris : Heugel & Cie. [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jean-Louis Aristide Hignard (1822 - 1897), "Chanson groënlandaise" [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Italian (Italiano), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Alfredo Catalani.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Michael P Rosewall) , "Song of Greenland", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Alberto Pedrotti , Anne Rodier
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 104
The sky is black And the sun crawls along Barely. With despair My poor, uncertain heart Is full. A blond child laughs at my sentimental songs And, on her heart, winter displays its iciness. Angel of dreams Your love, which begets life, Intoxicates me And I dare To look at you, to follow you The frost. Alas! Even with sweet kisses and their warmth I am unable to melt the snows in your heart. Ah! Would that tomorrow Your soul might come together With mine, And that my hand Might lovingly Hold yours. The sun will shine on high in our sky And love from your heart will bring about the thaw.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2024 by Michael P Rosewall, (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 Jules Verne (1828 - 1905), "Chanson groënlandaise", appears in Le Pays des fourrures, chapter XIX, Une visite de voisinage
This text was added to the website: 2024-07-11
Line count: 24
Word count: 112