by Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle (1818 - 1894)
Translation © by Emily Ezust

Lydie
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  ENG
La Jeunesse nous quitte, et les Grâces aussi ;
Les Désirs amoureux s'envolent [après]1 elles,
Et le sommeil facile. À quoi bon le souci
  Des espérances éternelles ?

L'aile du vieux Saturne emporte nos beaux jours,
Et la fleur inclinée au vent du soir se fane :
Viens à l'ombre des pins ou sous l'épais platane
  Goûter les tardives amours.

Ceignons nos cheveux blancs de couronnes de roses,
Buvons, il en est temps encore, hâtons-nous :
Ta liqueur, ô Bacchus, des tristesses moroses
  Est le remède le plus doux.

Enfant, trempe les vins dans la source prochaine,
Et fais venir Lydie aux rires enjoués,
Avec sa blanche lyre et ses cheveux noués
  À la mode Laconienne.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   R. Hahn 

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Hahn: "avec"

Text Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

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

  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Lydia", copyright © 2016


Researcher for this page: Ted Perry

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 113

Lydia
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
Youth abandons us, and the Graces as well;
Desires of love fly [after]1 them,
And easy sleep. What good does the worry
  Of eternal expectations do?

The wings of Old Saturn carries off our fairest days,
And the flower bent in the evening breeze wilts;
Come into the shade of the pine or beneath the bushy plane tree
  To taste late-blooming love.

Let us circle this white hair with roses,
Let us drink, for there is still time, but quickly!
Your liqueur, oh Bacchus, of gloomy sorrow
  Is the sweetest remedy.

Child, steep the wines in that spring,
And have Lydia come with her happy laugh,
With her white lyre and hair tied back
  In the Laconian style.

View original text (without footnotes)
1 the Hahn version would be translated "with"

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Emily Ezust

    Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:

    Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
    from the LiederNet Archive

    For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.


Based on:

 

This text was added to the website: 2016-02-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 119