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La Jeunesse nous quitte, et les Grâces aussi ; Les Désirs amoureux s'envolent [après]1 elles, Et le sommeil facile. À quoi bon le souci Des espérances éternelles ? L'aile du vieux Saturne emporte nos beaux jours, Et la fleur inclinée au vent du soir se fane : Viens à l'ombre des pins ou sous l'épais platane Goûter les tardives amours. Ceignons nos cheveux blancs de couronnes de roses, Buvons, il en est temps encore, hâtons-nous : Ta liqueur, ô Bacchus, des tristesses moroses Est le remède le plus doux. Enfant, trempe les vins dans la source prochaine, Et fais venir Lydie aux rires enjoués, Avec sa blanche lyre et ses cheveux noués À la mode Laconienne.
1 Hahn: "avec"
Authorship
- by Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle (1818 - 1894), "Lydie", written 1852, appears in Poèmes antiques, in Études latines, no. 1, Paris, Éd. Librairie Marc Ducloux, first published 1852 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)
- by Reynaldo Hahn (1874 - 1947), "Lydie", published 1900 [ tenor, mixed chorus, piano ], from Études Latines, no. 1, Paris, Heugel [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Lydia", copyright © 2016
Researcher for this text: Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 116
Youth abandons us, and the Graces as well; Desires of love fly [after]1 them, And easy sleep. What good does the worry Of eternal expectations do? The wings of Old Saturn carries off our fairest days, And the flower bent in the evening breeze wilts; Come into the shade of the pine or beneath the bushy plane tree To taste late-blooming love. Let us circle this white hair with roses, Let us drink, for there is still time, but quickly! Your liqueur, oh Bacchus, of gloomy sorrow Is the sweetest remedy. Child, steep the wines in that spring, And have Lydia come with her happy laugh, With her white lyre and hair tied back In the Laconian style.
1 the Hahn version would be translated "with"
Authorship
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 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 -- https://www.lieder.net/For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
- a text in French (Français) by Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle (1818 - 1894), "Lydie", written 1852, appears in Poèmes antiques, in Études latines, no. 1, Paris, Éd. Librairie Marc Ducloux, first published 1852
This text was added to the website: 2016-02-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 118