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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:
- by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872), "Absence", written 1838, appears in La Comédie de la Mort, Paris, Éd. Desessart, first published 1838
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
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,
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Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872), "Absence", written 1838, appears in La Comédie de la Mort, Paris, Éd. Desessart, first published 1838
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This text was added to the website: 2015-01-28
Line count: 32
Word count: 191