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Oh fair! oh purest! be thou the dove That flies alone to some sunny grove, And lives unseen, and bathes her wing, All vestal white, in the limpid spring. There, if the hovering hawk be near, That limpid spring in its mirror clear Reflects him ere he reach his prey And warns the timorous bird away, Be thou this dove; Fairest, purest, be thou this dove, The sacred pages of God's own book Shall be the spring, the eternal brook, In whose holy mirror, night and day, Thou'lt study Heaven's reflected ray; -- And should the foes of virtue dare, With gloomy wing, to seek thee there, Thou wilt see how dark their shadows lie Between Heaven and thee, and trembling fly! Be thou that dove; Fairest, purest, be thou that dove.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), "Oh fair! oh purest!", subtitle: "Saint Augustine to his sister" [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 Seymour Barab (1921 - 2014), "Pure", copyright © 1979 [ soprano or tenor, recorder, and guitar ], from Bagatelles, no. 3, New York : Galaxy Music ; note: this may be the wrong text for this title [sung text not yet checked]
- by Adolph Martin Foerster (1854 - 1927), "O Fair, O Pure!", op. 70 no. 3 [ voice and piano ], from A Wreath of Songs, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2012-02-10
Line count: 20
Word count: 131
Ô belle ! ô la plus pure ! Sois cette colombe Qui vole seule vers un bosquet ensoleillé, Et vit à l’abri des regards, et baigne ses ailes, Toute blanche telle une vestale, dans la source limpide. Là, si le faucon planant est proche, Cette source limpide, dans son miroir clair, Le reflète avant qu’il n’atteigne sa proie Et avertit l’oiseau craintif de s’enfuir, Sois cette colombe ; La plus belle, la plus pure, sois cette colombe, Les pages sacrées du livre de Dieu lui-même Seront la source, le ruisseau éternel, Dans le miroir sacré duquel, nuit et jour, Tu contempleras le rayon du Ciel qui s’y reflète ; — Et si les ennemis de la vertu osaient, Avec leurs ailes sombres, te chercher là-bas, Tu verrais combien leurs ombres sombres s’étendent Entre le Ciel et toi, et tu t’envolerais en tremblant ! Sois cette colombe ; La plus belle, la plus pure, sois cette colombe.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"O Fair, O Pure!" = "Ô belle, Ô pure"
"Oh fair! oh purest!" = "Ô belle, Ô la plus pure"
"Pure" = "Pure"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2026 by Pierre Mathé, (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 English by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), "Oh fair! oh purest!", subtitle: "Saint Augustine to his sister"
This text was added to the website: 2026-06-17
Line count: 20
Word count: 150