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O sweet were the hours When in mirth's frolic throng I led up the revels With dance and with song; When brisk from the fountain And bright as the day, My spirits o'erflow'd And ran sparkling away! Wine! Wine! Wine! Come bring me wine to cheer me, Friend of my heart! Come pledge me high! Wine! Till the dreams of youth Again are near me, Why must they leave me, Tell me, why? Return, ye sweet hours! Once again let me see Your airly light forms Of enchantment and glee; Come, give an old friend, While he crowns his gay glass, A nod as you part And a smile as you pass I cannot forget you, I would not resign, There's health in my pulse, And a spell in my wine; And sunshine in Autumn, Tho' passing too soon, Is sweeter and dearer Than sunshine in June.
Text Authorship:
- by William Smyth (1765 - 1849), "O sweet were the hours" [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 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827), "O sweet were the hours", op. 108 (25 schottische Lieder mit Begleitung von Pianoforte, Violine und Violoncello) no. 3 (1815) [ voice, violin, violoncello, piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Daphné van Raemdonck) , "Oh, douces furent les heures", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Anonymous/Unidentified Artist) , "O köstliche Zeit"
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Belli erano i momenti", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2004-08-03
Line count: 32
Word count: 147
Oh, douces furent les heures, lorsque dans une foule joyeuse et batifolante j'ai dirigé les réjouissances avec la danse et le chant ; Quand vifs, de la fontaine, Et lumineux comme le jour, Mes esprits ont débordé, Et ont couru, en pétillant, au loin! Vin ! vin ! vin ! Viens donne-moi du vin pour m'égayer, Ami de mon cœur, Viens promets-moi l'ivresse Vin ! jusqu'au moment où les rêves de jeunesse sont à nouveau près de moi, Pourquoi doivent-ils me quitter, Dis-moi, pourquoi ? Revenez, vous, douces heures ! Une fois de plus, laissez-moi entrevoir vos formes aérées d'enchantement et de joie Venez, donnez à un vieil ami, pendant qu'il honore son verre guilleret, Un hochement de tête en partant et un sourire en passant. Je ne peux t'oublier Je ne renoncerai pas, Il y a de la santé dans mon pouls, Et un sort dans mon vin. Et le soleil en Automne, bien qu'il parte trop tôt, Est plus doux et plus cher que le soleil de juin.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2010 by Daphné van Raemdonck, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Daphné van Raemdonck. Contact: d (DOT) vanraemdonck (AT) base (DOT) be
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Based on:
- a text in English by William Smyth (1765 - 1849), "O sweet were the hours"
This text was added to the website: 2010-10-22
Line count: 32
Word count: 163