Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG GER HEB HUN ITA SPA
Le long du Quai, les grands vaisseaux,
Que la houle incline en silence,
Ne prennent pas garde aux berceaux,
Que la main des femmes balance.

Mais viendra le jour des adieux,
Car il faut que les femmes pleurent,
Et que les hommes curieux
Tentent les horizons qui leurrent !

Et ce jour-là les grands vaisseaux,
Fuyant le port qui diminue,
Sentent leur masse retenue
Par l'âme des lointains berceaux.

Composition:

    Set to music by Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924), "Les Berceaux", op. 23 no. 1 (1879), published 1881, first performed 1882 [ medium voice and piano ], Éditions J. Hamelle

Text Authorship:

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
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Marike Lindhout) , no title, copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , no title, copyright © 2016
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , no title, copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • HEB Hebrew (עברית) (Ehud Shapiro) , no title, copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Tamás Dániel Csűry) , no title, copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , no title, copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Mercedes Vivas) , no title, copyright © 2006, (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: 68