The dawn lights up

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by Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885)

Translation © by Amy Pfrimmer

L'aurore

(Sung text for setting by G. Fauré)

See original

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: CAT CHI ENG ENG

I
L'aurore s'allume ;
L'ombre épaisse fuit ;
Le rêve et la brume
Vont où va la nuit ;
Paupières et roses
S'ouvrent demi-closes ;
Du réveil des choses
On entend le bruit.

Tout chante et murmure,
Tout parle à la fois,
Fumée et verdure,
Les nids et les toits ;
Le vent parle aux chênes,
L'eau parle aux fontaines ;
Toutes les haleines
Deviennent des voix !

Tout reprend son âme,
L'enfant son hocher,
Le foyer sa flamme,
Le luth son archet ;
Folie ou démence,
Dans le monde immense,
Chacun recommence
Ce qu'il ébauchait.

 ...

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-3 of the original text.

Composition:

Gabriel Fauré

Text Authorship:

by Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885), no title, written 1834, appears in Les Chants du Crépuscule, no. 20

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
CHI Chinese (中文) [singable] (Dr Huaixing Wang) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Linda Godry) , "Aurora catches fire", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Amy Pfrimmer) , copyright © 2023, (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: 139
Word count: 502

The dawn lights up

(Sung text translation for setting by G. Fauré)

See original

Language: English after the French (Français)

Add this translation to the Basket | Add tr by G. Fauré | Add tr by C. Saint-Saëns | Add tr by J. Weckerlin | Add tr by C. Widor

I
The dawn lights up; 
The thick shadows flee; 
Dreams and mist 
go where night goes;
Eyelids and roses 
are half opened; 
We hear the sounds 
of things awakening.

Everything sings and murmurs, 
everything speaks at once, 
smoke and greenery, 
nests and rooftops;
The breeze speaks to the oaks, 
water speaks to the fountains; 
Every breath 
becomes a voice!

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About the headline (FAQ)

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-3 of the original text.

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2023 by Amy Pfrimmer, (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.
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Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885), no title, written 1834, appears in Les Chants du Crépuscule, no. 20
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This text was added to the website: 2023-06-04
Line count: 139
Word count: 128