Sérénata

Song Cycle by Hugo Herrmann (1896 - 1967)

1. En sourdine [sung text not yet checked]

Language: French (Français)

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.

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

View original text (without footnotes)

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]

2. La lune blanche [sung text not yet checked]

Language: French (Français)

La lune blanche 
Luit dans les bois ;
De chaque branche 
Part une voix 
Sous la ramée...

Ô bien aimée.

L'étang reflète,
Profond miroir,
La silhouette
Du saule noir
Où le vent pleure...

Rêvons, c'est l'heure.

Un vaste et tendre
Apaisement
Semble descendre
Du firmament
Que l'astre irise...

C'est l'heure exquise.

Text Authorship:

by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), no title, appears in La bonne chanson, no. 6, first published 1870

See other settings of this text.

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Vrchlický) , "Píseň"
ENG English (Grant A. Lewis) , "The white moon", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Charles Hopkins) , "The Moment of Ecstasy", written 2002, first published 2002, copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Charles Hopkins) , written c2005, copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Kalpea kuu ", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) (Pierre Mathé) , "Der weiße Mond", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) (Elaine Marie Ortiz-Arandes) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) (Michel Dimitri Calvocoressi) , no title
GRE Greek (Ελληνικά) [singable] (Christakis Poumbouris) , "Λευκή σελήνη", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Tamás Rédey) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Árpád Tóth) , "La lune blanche"
HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Dezső Kosztolányi) , "Fehér hold"
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "La luna bianca", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , "La hora exquisita", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
SPA Spanish (Español) (Alberto Bonati) , "La luna blanca", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

3. Ariette [sung text not yet checked]

Language: French (Français)

Il [pleure]¹ dans mon cœur
Comme il pleut sur la ville ;
Quelle est cette langueur
Qui pénètre mon cœur ?

Ô bruit doux de la pluie,
Par terre et sur les toits !
Pour un cœur qui s'ennuie,
Ô le [chant]² de la pluie !

Il pleure sans raison
Dans [ce]³ cœur qui s'écœure.
Quoi ! nulle trahison ? ...
[Ce]⁴ deuil est sans raison.

C'est bien la pire peine,
De ne savoir pourquoi...
Sans amour et sans haine
Mon cœur a tant de peine !

Text Authorship:

by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), no title, appears in Romances sans paroles, in Ariettes oubliées, no. 3, Sens, Typographie de Maurice L'Hermite, first published 1874

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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Rostand: "pleut"
² Debussy: "bruit"
³ Fauré, Rostand: "mon"; Madetoja: "le"
⁴ Fauré, Rostand: "Mon"

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

Total word count: 224