Cold, dark night | Cold, dark night

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by Joachim du Bellay (1525 - c1560)

Translation © by David Wyatt

La nuit froide et sombre

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG ENG

La nuict froide & sombre
Couvrant d'obscure ombre
La terre & les cieux,
Aussi doux que miel,
Fait couler du ciel
Le sommeil aux yeux.

Puis le jour luisant
Au labeur duisant,
Sa lueur expose,
Et d'un tein divers,
Ce grand univers
Tapisse & compose.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• R. de Lassus

Text as set by Lassus:

La nuit froide et sombre
couvrant d'obscure ombre
la terre et les cieux,
Aussi doux que miel
fait couler du ciel
le sommeil aux yeux.

Puis le jour suivant
au labeur duisant
sa lueur expose,
Et d'un tein divers
ce grand univers
tapisse et compose.

Text Authorship:

by Joachim du Bellay (1525 - c1560) [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 Roland de Lassus (1532 - 1594), "La nuit froide et sombre", 1576 [ 4v, a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (David Jonathan Justman) , "The cold and somber night", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (David Wyatt) , "Cold, dark night", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 45

Cold, dark night

Language: English after the French (Français)

Cold, dark night,
Covering with deep shade
The earth and heavens,
Makes sleep flow from heaven
As sweet as honey
Over our eyes :

Then the lightening day,
Taking up its task,
Shows forth its light;
And with varied colours
Weaves and composes
This great world.

View text with all available footnotes

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2013 by David Wyatt, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Joachim du Bellay (1525 - c1560)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2013-05-07
Line count: 12
Word count: 45