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Le long du bois couvert de givre, je marchais; Mes cheveux devant ma bouche Se fleurissaient de petits glaçons, Et mes sandales étaient lourdes De neige fangeuse et tassée. Il me dit: "Que cherches-tu?" Je suis la trace du satyre. Ses petits pas fourchus alternent Comme des trous dans un manteau blanc. Il me dit: "Les satyres sont morts. "Les satyres et les nymphes aussi. Depuis trente ans, il n'a pas fait un hiver aussi terrible. La trace que tu vois est celle d'un bouc. Mais restons ici, où est leur tombeau." Et avec le fer de sa houe il cassa la glace De la source ou jadis riaient les naïades. Il prenait de grands morceaux froids, Et les soulevant vers le ciel pâle, Il regardait au travers.
Text Authorship:
- by Pierre-Félix Louis (1870 - 1925), as Pierre Louÿs, "Le tombeau des Naïades", appears in Les Chansons de Bilitis, in Bucoliques en Pamphylie, no. 46, Paris, Éd. du Mercure de France, first published 1897 [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 André-Marie Cuvelier , "Le tombeau des Naïades", 1935 [ high voice and piano ], from Chansons de Bilitis, 1er recueil, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Claude Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918), "Le tombeau des Naïades", L. 97/(90) no. 3 (1897-8) [ voice and piano ], from Chansons de Bilitis, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Cecilie Ore (b. 1954), "Le tombeau des Naïades", 1981 [ high voice and instrumental ensemble ] [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Peter Low) , "The tomb of the water-nymphs", copyright © 2000, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Nele Gramß) , "Das Grab der Nymphen", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Das Grab der Quellnymphen", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "La tomba delle naiadi", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 19
Word count: 128
Attraversavo il bosco coperto di brina; Piccoli ghiaccioli fiorivano fra i miei capelli sul viso, e i miei sandali erano inzuppati di neve fangosa e compatta. "Cosa cerchi?" Egli mi chiese "Seguo le tracce del satiro. I suoi piccoli passi biforcuti simili a fori in un bianco mantello." Mi rispose: "I satiri sono morti." "I satiri e anche le ninfe. Da trenta anni non c'era mai stato un così rigido inverno. Le orme che vedi sono quelle di un capro. Ma fermiamoci qui, dove sta la loro tomba." E con il ferro del suo bastone ruppe il ghiaccio della fonte dove una volta ridevano le naiadi. Prese alcuni freddi frammenti, e sollevandoli verso il pallido cielo, vi guardò attraverso.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2005 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (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 Pierre-Félix Louis (1870 - 1925), as Pierre Louÿs, "Le tombeau des Naïades", appears in Les Chansons de Bilitis, in Bucoliques en Pamphylie, no. 46, Paris, Éd. du Mercure de France, first published 1897
This text was added to the website: 2005-10-16
Line count: 19
Word count: 119