J'ai perdu la forêt, la plaine, Et les frais avrils d'autre-fois. Donne tes lèvres, leur haleine Ce sera le souffle des bois. J'ai perdu l'océan morose, Son deuil, ses vagues, ses échos; Dis-moi n'importe quelle chose, Ce sera la rumeur des flots. Lourd d'une tristesse royale Mon front songe aux soleils enfuis. Oh! cache-moi dans ton sein pâle! Ce sera le calme des nuits.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Auguste, Comte de Villiers de L'isle-Adam (1838 - 1889), "L'aveu (À une enfant taciturne)", written 1866, appears in Contes cruels, in Conte d'Amour, no. 2 [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 Léon Boëllmann (1862 - 1897), "L'aveu", op. 26 no. 1 (1896), published 1896 [ high voice and piano ], from Conte d’Amour, no. 1, Édition Baudoux [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ernest Amédée Chausson (1855 - 1899), "L'aveu", op. 13 (Quatre mélodies) no. 3 (1885) [ high voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Bernard-Louis Crocé-Spinelli (1871 - 1932), "L'Aveu", published 1898 [ medium voice and piano ], from Six Mélodies, no. 2, Paris, Éditions 'Au Ménestrel' Heugel & Cie. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Georges Flé , "L'aveu", published 1898 [ medium voice and piano ], from Poésies mises en musique, no. 7, Édition du Mercure de France [sung text not yet checked]
- by Émile Naoumoff (b. 1962), "L'aveu", 2004/6, published 2008 [ voice and piano ], from Quatre mélodies, no. 1, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Émile Naoumoff (b. 1962), "L'aveu", 1962 [ medium voice and piano ], from Mélodies choisies, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Czech (Čeština), a translation by Emanuel Lešehrad (1877 - 1955) ; composed by Bohuslav Martinů.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) , copyright © 2016, (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: 12
Word count: 64
Já ztratil roviny a chlumy, i mladost plnu jarních krás, dej mi své rty, tak hvozdů šumy v tvém vzdechu budu slyšet lkát. Já moře ztratil, jeho lkání, únavu, vlny, ševel, dech. ò, sklon se ke mě v šepotání, já hukot vln uslyším v snech! Královskym smutkem těžká moje skrán, sní o sluncích uprchlých. O skryj ji v bledá nadra svoje, snad ticho noci najde v nich.
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
Text Authorship:
- by Emanuel Lešehrad (1877 - 1955) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Auguste, Comte de Villiers de L'isle-Adam (1838 - 1889), "L'aveu (À une enfant taciturne)", written 1866, appears in Contes cruels, in Conte d'Amour, no. 2
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Bohuslav Martinů (1890 - 1959), "Stará Píseň", H 74 (1913) [ voice and piano ], confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2025-05-26
Line count: 12
Word count: 67