As each soul here below | As each soul here below

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by Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885)

Translation © by Faith J. Cormier

Rêverie

(Sung text for setting by C. Saint-Saëns)

See original

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: CAT ENG ENG GER SPA

Puisqu'ici-bas toute âme
Donne à quelqu'un
Sa musique, sa flamme,
Ou son parfum ;

Puisqu'ici-bas chaque chose
Donne toujours
Son épine ou sa rose
A ses amours ;

 ... 

Puisque l'air à la branche
Donne l'oiseau ;
Que l'aube à la pervenche
Donne un peu d'eau ;

Puisque, lorsqu'elle arrive
S'y reposer,
L'onde amère à la rive
Donne un baiser ;

Je te donne, à cette heure,
Penché sur toi,
La chose la meilleure
Que j'ai en moi !

Reçois donc ma pensée,
Triste d'ailleurs,
Qui, comme une rosée,
T'arrive en pleurs !

Reçois mes voeux sans nombre,
O mes amours !
Reçois la flamme ou l'ombre
De tous mes jours !

Mes transports pleins d'ivresses,
Pur de soupçons,
Et toutes les caresses
De mes chansons !

Mon esprit qui sans voile
Vogue au hazard,
Et qui n'a pour étoile
Que ton regard !

 ... 

Reçois, mon bien céleste,
O ma beauté,
Mon cœur, dont rien ne reste,
L'amour ôté !

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1,2,4-10,12 of the original text.

Composition:

Charles Camille Saint-Saëns

Text Authorship:

by Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885), no title, written 1836, appears in Les voix intérieures, no. 11, first published 1837

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
ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , "As each soul here below", copyright © 2000, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English [singable] (Peter Low) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) (Dr Huaixing Wang) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) [singable] (Angelo Zanardini) , "Dolce pensier"
SPA Spanish (Español) (Alberto Bonati) , "Ya que aquí abajo toda alma", copyright © 2007, (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: 48
Word count: 179

As each soul here below

(Sung text translation for setting by C. Saint-Saëns)

See original

Language: English after the French (Français)

As each soul here below
Someone has lent,
Its music or its glow
Or its own scent;

As all things here below
To true love give
A thorn, or else a rose,
As they do live;

 ... 

As air the small bird lends
Unto the branch
Dawn dew the flowers sends,
Their thirst to quench;

As when dark waves reach land
To take their rest,
They leave upon the strand
A sweet caress;

I give thee, at this hour,
Bent over thee,
The best that's in my power,
The best in me!

I give my thoughts so true,
Though sad they be,
Like glistening drops of dew
They fall on thee.

My vows uncounted claim
My love, always.
Receive the shade or flame
Of all my days.

My wildest transports greet,
Suspicions gone,
And each caress so sweet
Of this my song.

My spirit which, afar,
Drifts on the sea,
Its only gliding star
The sight of thee.

 ... 

Take, heavenly creature,
O, my beauty,
My heart - its only feature
My love for thee.

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1,2,4-10,12 of the original text.

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2000 by Faith J. Cormier, (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 Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885), no title, written 1836, appears in Les voix intérieures, no. 11, first published 1837
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This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 48
Word count: 208