Language: French (Français)
Our translations: CAT ENG GER ITA
Reviens, reviens, ma bien-aimée !
Comme une fleur loin du soleil,
La fleur de ma vie est fermée,
Loin de ton sourire vermeil.
Entre nos cœurs tant de distance ;
Tant d'espace entre nos baisers.
Ô sort amer ! ô dure absence !
Ô grands désirs inapaisés !
...
Au pays qui me prend ma belle,
Hélas ! si je pouvais aller ;
Et si mon corps avait une aile
Comme mon âme pour voler !
Par-dessus nos vertes collines,
Les montagnes au front d'azur,
Les champs rayés et les ravines,
J'irais d'un vol rapide et sûr.
Le corps ne suit pas la pensée;
Pour moi, mon âme, va tout droit,
Comme une colombe blessée,
T'abattre au rebord de son toit.
...
Et dis, mon âme, à cette belle :
« Tu sais bien qu'il compte les jours !
Ô ma colombe ! à tire d'aile,
Retourne au nid de nos amours. »
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1,2,4-6,8 of the original text.
Composition:
Set to music by Georges Bizet (1838 - 1875), "Absence", op. 21 no. 13 (1872), published 1873, stanzas 1,2,4-6,8 [ soprano and piano ], from Vingt mélodies pour chant et piano, no. 13, Paris, Choudens
Text Authorship:
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English [singable] (Samuel Byrne) , "Absence"
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , copyright © 2015
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Enrico Magnani) , "Assenza", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust
[Administrator] , Pierre Mathé
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 190
Language: English after the French (Français)
Return, return, my beloved!
Like a flower far from the sun,
The flower of my life is shut,
Far from your rosy smile!
Between our hearts such distance!
Such space between our kisses!
O bitter destiny! O harsh absence!
O great, unappeasable desires!
...
To the land that has taken my love
Ah! if only I could go;
If only my body had wings
With which to fly, like my soul!
Over our green hills,
Over mountains with azure brows,
Over scraped fields and ravines,
I would go in rapid and secure flight.
The body does not obey the thought;
For me, my soul goes straight ahead
And, like a wounded dove,
Collapses upon the edge of her roof.
...
And say, my soul, to this beauty:
"You know well that he is counting the days!
O my dove! Take flight
And return to the nest of our loves."
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1,2,4-6,8 of the original text.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2015 by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet Archive
For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
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This text was added to the website: 2015-01-28
Line count: 32
Word count: 191
