Gothic Song | Beautiful bride

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by Gérard Labrunie (1808 - 1855), as Gérard de Nerval

Translation © by Grant Hicks

Belle épousée

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG ENG

Belle épousée
J'aime tes pleurs !
C'est la rosée
Qui sied aux fleurs.

Les belles choses
N'ont qu'un printemps,
Semons de roses
Les pas du Temps !

Soit brune ou blonde
Faut-il choisir ?
Le Dieu du monde,
C'est le Plaisir.

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Œuvres de Gérard de Nerval, Vol. 1, Bourges: Éditions Gallimard, 1966, Page 29.

Text Authorship:

by Gérard Labrunie (1808 - 1855), as Gérard de Nerval, "Chanson gothique", written 1849 [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 Georges Auric (1899 - 1983), "Chanson gothique", 1925, published 1925 [ medium voice and piano ], from Cinq Poèmes de Gérard de Nerval, no. 2, Paris, Heugel [sung text checked 1 time]
by Armand-Marie Ghislain Limnander van Nieuwenhove, Baron (1814 - 1892), no title, 1849 [ voice and orchestra ], from opera Les Monténégrins, Act II, Scene 5 [sung text not yet checked]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (David Jonathan Justman) , "Gothic song", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "Gothic Song", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Grant Hicks [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 38

Gothic Song

Language: English after the French (Français)

Beautiful bride,
I love your tears!
It is dew that
Best becomes flowers.

Beautiful things 
Have but one spring;
Let's strew with roses
The footprints of Time!

Brunette or blonde—
Must we choose?
The God of the world 
Is Pleasure.

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2025 by Grant Hicks, (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:

a text in French (Français) by Gérard Labrunie (1808 - 1855), as Gérard de Nerval, "Chanson gothique", written 1849
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-07-20
Line count: 12
Word count: 40