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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 quelle distance ;
Tant d'espace entre nos baisers.
Ô sort amer ! ô dure absence !
Ô grands désirs inapaisés !
D'ici là-bas que de campagnes,
Que de villes et de hameaux,
Que de vallons et de montagnes,
À lasser le pied des chevaux !
...
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-3 of the original text.
Composition:
- Set to music by Hector Berlioz (1803 - 1869), "Absence", op. 7 no. 4 (1840), stanzas 1-3 [ voice and orchestra or piano ], from Les Nuits d'Été, no. 4, also set in German (Deutsch)
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
Kehr heim, Geliebte mein, kehr heim!
Gleich einer Blume fern der Sonn'
verschließt die Blüte meines Seins
sich, ist dein strahlend Lächeln fern.
Wie weit die Herzen doch entfernt!
Welch Kluft, die unsere Küsse trennt!
O bittres Los ganz ohne dich!
Wie groß mein Sehnen, ungestillt!
Von hier nach dort - welch weites Land
mit Städten, Weilern eingestreut,
mit Tälern, Höhen, weit gespannt -
wie müde wird der Rosse Schritt.
...
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-3 of the original text.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2010 by Bertram Kottmann, (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.
Bertram Kottmann. Contact: BKottmann (AT) t-online.de
If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
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: 2010-05-28
Line count: 32
Word count: 185