L'enfant à la bougie éteinte | Pauvre, pauvre bougie, tu n'épands plus de lumière

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by Adelbert von Chamisso (1781 - 1838)

Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Das Kind an die erloschene Kerz

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Du arme, arme Kerze gibst fürder keinen Schein, 
erloschen ist so schnelle 
Dein Licht, das freud'ge, helle,
o mußt es also sein! 
Du arme, arme Kerze gibst fürder keinen Schein!

S'ist nicht, weil ich nun weilen muß in der Dunkelheit!
O brenntest du nur immer, 
und gäb dein lieber Schimmer
nur andern Freudigkeit! 
S'ist nicht, weil ich nun weilen muß in der Dunkelheit! 

Du arme, arme Kerze gibst fürder keinen Schein!
S'ist nicht, weil ich alleine
im Dunkeln bin und weine,
ich bin ja gern allein! 
Du arme, arme Kerze gibst fürder keinen Schein!

Text Authorship:

by Adelbert von Chamisso (1781 - 1838), "Das Kind an die erloschene Kerz", appears in Lieder und lyrisch epische Gedichte [author's text not yet checked 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 Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844 - 1900), "Das Kind an die erloschene Kerz", NWV 27 (1864) [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "A child addressing an extinguished candle", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "L'enfant à la bougie éteinte", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: John Versmoren

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 15
Word count: 94

L'enfant à la bougie éteinte

Language: French (Français) after the German (Deutsch)

Pauvre, pauvre bougie, tu n'épands plus de lumière,
Elle s'est si vite éteinte
Ta flamme, joyeuse et claire,
Il fallait bien qu'il en soit ainsi !
Pauvre, pauvre bougie, tu n'épands plus de lumière !

Ce n'est pas que je doive rester dans le noir !
Ô si tu pouvais brûler toujours
Et si ta chère clarté pouvait
Ne donner aux autres que joie !
Ce n'est pas que je doive rester dans le noir !

Pauvre, pauvre bougie, tu n'épands plus de lumière !
Ce n'est pas que je suis seul
Dans le noir et pleure,
Oui, je suis content d'être seul !
Pauvre, pauvre bougie, tu n'épands plus de lumière !

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2015 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 German (Deutsch) by Adelbert von Chamisso (1781 - 1838), "Das Kind an die erloschene Kerz", appears in Lieder und lyrisch epische Gedichte
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2015-09-08
Line count: 15
Word count: 105