Je suis un arbre | J'étais un arbre plein de promesses et assuré de durer longtemps

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by Ernst Josephson (1851 - 1906)

Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Jag är ett träd

Language: Swedish (Svenska)

Our translations: FIN FRE

Jag är ett träd, som lofvat godt och säkert hållit vid,
om storm ej plundrat mig på blad midt i min sommars tid.

Nu sträcker nakna grenar jag förtviflad opp mot skyn,
fast allt omkring bär sommarns färg och ter en härlig syn.

O, när skall jag mig dölja få, när unnas jag att dö?
O, hvad jag längtar efter dig, du kalla, hvita snö!

Confirmed with Ernst Josephson, Svarta Rosor och Gula, C. & E. Gernandts Förlags Aktiebolag, Stockholm, 1901, page 132.

Text Authorship:

by Ernst Josephson (1851 - 1906), "Jag är ett träd", appears in Svarta Rosor och Gula [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 Ture Rangström (1884 - 1947), "Jag är ett träd", 1911 [ voice and piano ], from Fyra dikter = Vier Gedichte, no. 3, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
by Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957), "Jag är ett träd", op. 57 (8 sånger (Eight Songs)) no. 5 (1909) [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation possibly by Ture Rangström (1884 - 1947); composed by Ture Rangström.
- Go to the text.

Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English [singable] (Herbert Harper) , "The tree"
FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Minä olen puu", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Je suis un arbre", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Theobald Rehbaum) , "Der kahle Baum"

Researcher for this page: Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 6
Word count: 65

Je suis un arbre

Language: French (Français) after the Swedish (Svenska)

J'étais un arbre plein de promesses et assuré de durer longtemps
Si la tempête ne m'avait dépouillé de mes feuilles, au beau milieu de mon été.

À présent j'étale mes branches dénudées vers les nuages, avec désespoir,
Quand alentour presque tout porte les couleurs de l'été, et offre un spectacle magnifique.

Ô, quand pourrai-je me dissimuler, quand m'accordera-t-on de mourir ?
Ô, comme je me languis de toi, toi blanche et froide neige !

Text Authorship:

Translation from Swedish (Svenska) to French (Français) copyright © 2014 by Pierre Mathé, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in Swedish (Svenska) by Ernst Josephson (1851 - 1906), "Jag är ett träd", appears in Svarta Rosor och Gula
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2014-09-16
Line count: 6
Word count: 72