Calmes dans le demi-jour Que les branches hautes font, Pénétrons bien notre amour De ce silence profond. [Fondons]1 nos âmes, nos cœurs Et nos sens extasiés, Parmi les vagues langueurs Des pins et des arbousiers. Ferme tes yeux à demi, Croise tes bras sur ton sein, Et de ton cœur endormi Chasse à jamais tout dessein. Laissons-nous persuader Au souffle berceur et doux, Qui vient à tes pieds rider Les ondes des gazons roux. Et quand, solennel, le soir Des chênes noirs tombera, Voix de notre désespoir, Le rossignol chantera.
Three songs
Song Cycle by Bernard Wagenaar (1894 - 1971)
1. Calmes dans le demi‑jour  [sung text not yet checked]
Text Authorship:
- by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "En sourdine", written 1868, appears in Fêtes galantes, no. 21, first published 1868
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Anna Brull Piñol) , "Calms, dins el capvespre", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- CAT Catalan (Català) [singable] (Núria Colomer) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Muted", copyright ©
- ENG English (Laura Claycomb) (Peter Grunberg) , "Muted", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Elaine Marie Ortiz-Arandes) (Julie Nezami-Tavi) , copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Gedämpften Tons", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GRE Greek (Ελληνικά) [singable] (Christakis Poumbouris) , "Απαλή αγάπη", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Pablo Sabat) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , "En voz baja", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Confirmed with Paul Verlaine, Fêtes galantes, Paris: Alphonse Lemerre, 1869, pages 49-50. Note: first appeared in the journal L'Artiste, July 1, 1868, and then in 1869 in Fêtes galantes, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre.
Note: The ampersands (&) as appear in the first publication are changed to "et".
1 Fauré: "Mêlons"Research team for this page: Didier Pelat , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
1. At dusk  [sung text checked 1 time]
Softly, with the fading light Thru' the branches glimmering, All of our rapture is surging, Breaking the silence profound. Blending our souls and our hearts, And blending all ecstasies; One with the languor of dreams Of pines and arbutus trees. Close now your eyes unto peace; Cross now your arms unto rest; Now let your heart have repose, Banish forever desire. Let us rest and yield ourselves To breezes so gentle and sweet, Which blow in a rhythmic mirth Thro' grasses and heather. And when somber night descends Down from the deep oaks of gray, Like the voice of our despair The nightingale chants a song.
Text Authorship:
- Singable translation by Robert A. Simon
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "En sourdine", written 1868, appears in Fêtes galantes, no. 21, first published 1868
Go to the general single-text view
Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]2. May night  [sung text checked 1 time]
Over the garden shines the moon; Thru' the trees there's a whisper'd sigh; Lonely lies the spreading lane In the quiet night. Branches quiver in azure light; High the tops of the trees are all drawn To the long, long panorama of loveliness there. Still I dream thru' the passage of time, While the moon gives benison; Now the land so blessed by her, Calmly sleeps, calmly sleeps and waits.
Text Authorship:
- Singable translation by Robert A. Simon
Based on:
- a text in Dutch (Nederlands) by Edward Bernard Koster (1861 - 1937) [text unavailable]
Go to the general single-text view
Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]3.  [sung text not yet checked]
Ich stand in [dunkeln]1 Träumen Und [starrte]2 ihr Bildniß an, Und das geliebte Antlitz Heimlich zu leben begann. Um ihre Lippen zog sich Ein Lächeln wunderbar, Und wie von Wehmuthsthränen [Erglänzte]3 [ihr]4 Augenpaar. Auch meine Thränen flossen Mir von [den Wangen]5 herab -- Und ach, ich [kann es]6 nicht glauben, Daß ich Dich verloren hab'!
Text Authorship:
- by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, written 1823-24, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Die Heimkehr, no. 23, first published 1826
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Estava immers en obscures vagueries", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , no title, copyright © 1996
- ENG English (Emma Lazarus) , appears in Poems and Ballads of Heinrich Heine, first published 1881
- ENG English (David Kenneth Smith) , copyright © 1996, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Hänen kuvansa", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Dans des rêves sombres", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "J'étais plongé en de sombres rêveries", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GRE Greek (Ελληνικά) (Athanasios Papaisiou) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Immagine di lei", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- KOR Korean (한국어/조선말) [singable] (곽명규 Myung-Kew Kwack) , "그녀 모습", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- LIT Lithuanian (Lietuvių kalba) (Giedrius Prunskus) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- NOR Norwegian (Bokmål) (Marianne Beate Kielland) , copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Saúl Botero Restrepo) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Confirmed with Buch der Lieder von H. Heine. Hamburg bei Hoffmann und Campe. 1827, page 201; and with Reisebilder von H. Heine. Erster Theil. Hamburg, bey Hoffmann und Campe. 1826, page 27.
1 Mendel and others: "dunklen"2 Beach, Grieg, Schubert: "starrt'"
3 Hinrichs "das"
4 Voss "erglänzt"
5 Voss "der Wang' "
6 Grieg, Hinrichs, Mendel, Schumann, Voss: "kann's"
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor] , Johann Winkler
3. I stood in dreams of darkness  [sung text checked 1 time]
I stood in dreams of darkness, And gazed at the likeness of her; And that beloved vision Gently began to stir; Over her lips came creeping A wonderful magic smile, And as in sorrow breaking Her eyes wept all the while. And my tears too were flowing, So that I could not see; And oh! I cannot believe it, That you are lost to me!
Text Authorship:
- Singable translation by Robert A. Simon
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, written 1823-24, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Die Heimkehr, no. 23, first published 1826
Go to the general single-text view
Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]