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Pourquoi tomber déjà, feuille jaune et flétrie ? J'aimais ton doux aspect dans ce triste vallon. Un printemps, un été furent toute ta vie, Et tu vas sommeiller sur le pâle gazon. L'hiver, saison des nuits, s'avance et décolore Ce qui servait d'asile aux habitants des cieux ; Tu meurs, un vent du soir vient t'embrasser encore, Mais ces baisers glacés sont pour toi des adieux.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Élisa Mercœur (1809 - 1835), "La Feuille flétrie", written 1826, appears in Poésies, Nantes, Mellinet-Malassis, first published 1827 [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 M. Arnault , "La feuille flétrie", subtitle: "Rêverie" [ medium voice and piano ], from 15 mélodies et un duo avec accompagnement de piano composés et dédiés à sa mère par M. A., no. 13, Éd. Jules Hamelle [sung text not yet checked]
- by Antonin Joseph Aulagnier (1800 - 1892), "La Feuille flétrie" [ vocal duet for soprano and tenor with piano ], Éd. Aulagnier [sung text not yet checked]
- by Benjamin Louis Paul Godard (1849 - 1895), "La feuille flétrie", op. 4 no. 23 [ low voice and piano ], from 30 morceaux de chant, no. 23, Éd. Durand, Schoenewerck & Cie [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Gabrielle Onslow (1823 - 1900), "La Chute des feuilles" [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Eugène Paturel , "La Feuille flétrie" [ high voice and guitar ] [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Grant Hicks [Guest Editor] , Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website: 2020-05-29
Line count: 8
Word count: 64
Why fall so soon, yellowed and withered leaf? I loved the sweet sight of you in this sad little valley. One Spring, one Summer were your entire life, And now you will slumber on the pale grass. Winter, season of nights, comes to discolor What served as a refuge for the denizens of the skies; You die, an evening breeze comes to kiss you once more, But these icy kisses are for you a farewell.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"La Chute des feuilles" = "The Falling of the Leaves"
"La feuille flétrie" = "The Withered Leaf"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2026 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.
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Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Élisa Mercœur (1809 - 1835), "La Feuille flétrie", written 1826, appears in Poésies, Nantes, Mellinet-Malassis, first published 1827
This text was added to the website: 2026-05-06
Line count: 8
Word count: 75