×
Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
by René-François Sully-Prudhomme (1839 - 1907)
Translation © by Laura Prichard
Ah! si vous saviez comme on pleure
Language: French (Français)
Available translation(s): ENG
Ah! si vous saviez comme on pleure De vivre seul et sans foyers, Quelquefois devant ma demeure Vous passeriez. Si vous saviez ce que fait naître Dans l'âme triste un pur regard, Vous regarderiez ma fenêtre Comme au hazard. Si vous saviez quel baume apporte Au coeur la présence d'un cœur, Vous vous assoiriez sous ma porte Comme une sœur. Si vous saviez que je vous aime, Surtout si vous saviez comment, Vous entreriez peut-être même Tout simplement.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship
- by René-François Sully-Prudhomme (1839 - 1907), "Prière", written 1872, appears in Les vaines tendresses, no. 2, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1875 [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 Giulio Alary (1814 - 1891), "Prière" [ medium voice and piano ], from 20 Mélodies, Vol. II, no. 11, Paris, Éd. Durand & Schoenewerk [sung text not yet checked]
- by Salvatore Auteri-Manzocchi (1845 - 1924), "Si vous saviez" [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by François Berthet (1873 - 1956), "Si vous saviez", op. 11 no. 4 [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. Rouart-Lerolle [sung text not yet checked]
- by André Devaere (1890 - 1914), "Prière", op. 1 no. 2 [ voice and piano ], from Cinq mélodies, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by (François-Clément) Théodore Dubois (1837 - 1924), "Prière", published 1900 [ medium voice and piano ], from Vaines Tendresses, 6 poésies de Sully-Prudhomme, no. 1, Paris, Éd. Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Simone Féjard (1911 - 2012), "Prière", 1951 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Gounod (1818 - 1893), "Prière", published 1876 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Henriëtte Jacoba van Heukelom - van den Brandeler (1884 - 1985), "Prière" [ mezzo-soprano and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Edmond Hippeau (1849 - 1921), "Si vous saviez", op. 65, published [1909] [ high voice and piano ], Éd. E. Fromont [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean Mein (1912 - 2001), "Prière", 1936 [ high voice and piano ], Éd. C.Y. Marseille [sung text not yet checked]
- by Napoléon-Henri Reber (1807 - 1880), "Si vous saviez !", <<1878, published [1879] [ medium voice and piano ], from Vingt mélodies pour chant et piano - 2ième receuil, no. 14, Paris, Éd. Richault & Cie. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Giovanni Sgambati (1841 - 1914), "Prière" [ voice and piano ], from Quattro Canti, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Francesco Paolo Tosti (1846 - 1916), "Si vous saviez", published 1913 [ medium voice and piano ], in the revue La Musique, November 23 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Theodor H. H. Verhey (1848 - 1929), "Prière", op. 24 (Deux chansons à 1 voix avec piano) no. 1, published 1886 [ voice and piano ], Brüssel, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Vesque von Püttlingen (1803 - 1883), "Les vaines tendresses", 1877 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Maude Valérie White (1855 - 1937), "Prière", published 1888 [ voice and piano ], London: Pitt and Hatzfeld [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Eugen Hildach.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Aleksey Nikolayevich Pleshcheyev (1825 - 1893) , written 1883, first published 1884 ; composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov, Grand Duke of Russia (1858 - 1915) , "Просьба", written 1888 ; composed by Erazm Rafal Dluski.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Dezső Kosztolányi) , "Könyörgés"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 78
Ah! If you only knew how one cries
Language: English after the French (Français)
Ah! If you only knew how one cries Living alone and without a family, Sometimes, in front of my home, You might [choose to] pass. If you only knew what is ignited In a sad soul by a simple look, You might [choose to] glance at my window As if by chance. If you only knew what balm can be brought To one heart by the presence of another heart, You might sit down by my door Like a sister. If you only knew that I love you, Above everyone else, and if you knew how much, You might just come inside Quite simply.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translator's notes:Line 1-2: family: literally, a family, household, or hearth
Line 2-2: ignited: literally, is born
Authorship
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Prichard, (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:
- a text in French (Français) by René-François Sully-Prudhomme (1839 - 1907), "Prière", written 1872, appears in Les vaines tendresses, no. 2, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1875
This text was added to the website: 2016-02-08
Line count: 16
Word count: 104