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À quatre heures du matin, l'été,
Le sommeil d'amour dure encore.
Sous les bocages s'évapore
L'odeur du soir fêté.
Là-bas, dans leur vaste chantier,
Au soleil des Hespérides,
Déjà s'agitent, en bras de chemise,
Les Charpentiers.
Dans leurs Déserts de mousse,
Tranquilles, ils préparent
Les lambris précieux
Où la ville peindra de faux cieux.
O, pour ces Ouvriers charmants
Sujets d'un roi de Babylone,
Vénus! quitte un instant les Amants
Dont l'âme est en couronne!
O Reine des Bergers,
Porte aux travailleurs l'eau-de-vie,
Que leurs forces soient en paix
En attendant le bain dans la mer à midi.
The text shown is a variant of another text. [ View differences ]
It is based on
- a text in French (Français) by Arthur Rimbaud (1854 - 1891), "Bonne pensée du matin", written 1872
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Hanns Eisler (1898 - 1962), "Rimbaud-Gedicht", subtitle: "Die Franzosen nachahmend", 1942-3, from Hollywooder Liederbuch, no. 47 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , "Rimbaud-Poem", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Alberto Pedrotti , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 99
At four o'clock on a summer's morning, love still sleeps. The odors of the evening's revels evaporate under the bushes. Far off, in their great construction site in the Hesperidean sun, the carpenters are already stripped for action. In their mossy deserts, they tranquilly prepare the precious panels on which the city will paint a false heaven. Oh, for these charming workmen, subjects of the King of Babylon, Venus, leave for a moment your lovers whose souls are crowned. Queen of Shepherds, bring the workers the water of life, to calm their strength as they wait to swim in the sea at noontide.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2004 by Faith J. Cormier, (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 Not Applicable [an adaptation]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Arthur Rimbaud (1854 - 1891), "Bonne pensée du matin", written 1872
This text was added to the website: 2004-06-27
Line count: 20
Word count: 103