by Henri Cazalis (1840 - 1909), as Jean Lahor
Le Couvercle du mort
Language: French (Français)
Our translations: ENG
J'étais mort, et je dis à mon âme : « Il est temps, Quitte ta tombe et viens, monte vers la lumière : Tous ces vivants, Oh ! comme ils rient, tu les entends ? Il fait trop noir et froid ici, sors de ta bière. » Le couvercle était lourd, et je raidis mes mains : Que de clartés là-haut et quel grand bruit de fête ! Horreur ! je retombai ; mes efforts étaient vains : C'était l'éternité qui pesait sur ma tête !
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Researcher for this page: Grant Hicks [Guest Editor]
Confirmed with Œuvres de Jean Lahor, L'Illusion, Paris: Alphonse Lemerre, 1897, Page 260.
Text Authorship:
- by Henri Cazalis (1840 - 1909), as Jean Lahor, "Le Couvercle du mort", written 1875, appears in L'Illusion, in 4. Heures sombres, no. 15, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1875 [author's text checked 1 time 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 Daniel Fleuret (1869 - 1915), "Le Couvercle du mort", published 1912 [ medium voice and piano ], from L'Illusion, poème en neuf chants de Jean Lahor, no. 9, Lyon, Éd. Janin Frères [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "The Dead Man's Coffin-Lid", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Grant Hicks [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2025-05-22
Line count: 8
Word count: 78