by
Jean Racine (1639 - 1699)
Sombre nuit, aveugles ténèbres
Language: French (Français)
Available translation(s): ENG
Sombre nuit, aveugles ténèbres,
Fuyez; le jour s'approche et l'Olympe blanchit;
Et vous, démons, rentrez dans vos prisons funébres:
De votre empire affreux un Dieu nous affranchit.
Le soleil perce l'ombre obscure;
Et les traits éclatants qu'il lance dans les airs,
Rompant le voile épais qui couvrait la nature,
Redonnent la couleur et l'âme à l'univers.
Ô Christ, notre unique lumière,
Nous ne reconnaissons que tes saintes clartés,
Notre esprit t'est soumis; entends notre prière,
Et sous ton divin joug range nos volontés.
Souvent notre âme criminelle
Sur sa fausse vertu téméraire s'endort;
Hâte-toi d'éclairer, ô lumière éternelle,
Des malheureux assis dans l'ombre de la mort.
Gloire à toi, Trinité profonde,
Père, Fils, Esprit saint: qu'on t'adore toujours,
Tant que l'astre des temps éclairera le monde,
Et quand les siècles même auront fini leur cours.
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Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "Hymn", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 135
Hymn
Language: English  after the French (Français)
Somber night, blind darkness,
Flee; the day approaches and Olympus brightens;
And you, demons, get back into your funereal prisons:
From your dreadful empire, a god liberates us.
The sun pierces the murky shadow;
And the blazing rays that it shoots into the air,
Break through the veil covering nature,
Restoring color and soul to the universe.
Oh Christ, our only light,
We recognize only Your holy clarity,
Our spirit is subject to you; hear our prayer,
And under Your divine yoke, we submit ourselves.
Often, our guilty soul
Full of false courage, rashly falls asleep;
Hasten to enighten [those of] us, oh eternal light, [who are]
Unhappily seated in the shadow of death.
Glory to You, profound Trinity,
Father, Son, [and] Holy Spirit: let us adore you forever,
As long as the star1 illuminates the world,
And while the centuries run out their course.
View original text (without footnotes)
1 i.e., the sun
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.
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Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2016-04-04
Line count: 20
Word count: 145