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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 : « Ô ma colombe ! à tire d'aile, Retourne au nid de nos amours. Tu sais bien qu'il compte les jours ! »
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1,2,4-6, 8 of the original text.
Composition:
- Set to music by Ernest Tessier (1851 - 1909), as Ernest Lavigne, "Absence", published 1901, stanzas 1,2,4-6, 8 [ medium voice and piano ], Montreal, S. Park
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
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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
Ritorna, ritorna, o mia amata, come un fiore lontano dal sole, il fiore della mia vita è chiuso, lontano dal tuo sorriso vermiglio. Tra i nostri cuori c'è tanta distanza; tanto spazio tra i nostri baci! O sorte amara! O spietata assenza! O grandi desideri inappagati! ... Nel paese che trattiene la mia bella, ahimè! se io potessi andare; e se il mio corpo avesse un'ala come la mia anima per volare! Sopra le nostre colline verdi, le montagne dall'azzurra fronte, i campi arati e le rogge, io andrei con volo rapido e sicuro. Il corpo non segue il pensiero; per me, la mia anima, vola diritta, ma come una colomba ferita, si abbatte sul bordo del tetto. ... E dì, anima mia, alla mia bella: "Tu sai che sta contando i giorni!" O mia colomba! a volo d'ala, torna al nido dei nostri amori."
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1,2,4-6, 8 of the original text.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2007 by Enrico Magnani, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Enrico Magnani.  Contact: magnanienrico (AT) tiscali (DOT) it
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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: 2007-10-03
Line count: 32
Word count: 188