by Émile Cammaerts (1878 - 1953)
Translation by Tita Brand (1878 - 1953)
Berceuse de guerre
Language: French (Français)
Dodo, l’enfant do, L’enfant dormira tantôt. Le feu s’éteint, le vent gémit, La pluie cinge la fenêtre... Vente-t-il, pleut-il là-bas aussi ? Grêle-t-il, tonne-t-il peut-être ? Dodo, l’enfant do, L’enfant dormira tantôt. Est-il bien ? A-t-il chaud ? Ne manque-t-il de rien ? A-t-il ce qu’il lui faut ? Ses gants, son gilet, ses allumettes, Et, dans sa poche, contre son cœur, Ma dernière lettre Et sa ferveur ? [L’enfant dormira tantôt...]1 La lampe baisse, le feu s'éteint. Il va falloir se mettre [en]2 lit. L’enfant ferme ses petits poings... Mon grand enfant, dort-il aussi ? Dort-il paisiblement, avant la bataille ? Court-il, comme un fou, Sous la mitraille ? Ou bien, gît-il dans quelque trou, La bouche ouverte et les yeux clos ? Dodo, l’enfant do, L’enfant dormi... Dodo, l’enfant do. [L’enfant gémit, le vent gonfle les rideaux, La mèche charbonne. L’enfant se tourne dans son berceau, La pluie se tait, la nuit frissone. Il fait triste a faire peur…]3 [ L’enfant dormira tantôt…]3 [De la fureur des Boches délivrez-nous, Seigneur !]3
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Carpenter: "Dodo, l’enfant do, l’enfant dor,"
2 Carpenter: "au"
3 omitted by Carpenter.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
1 Carpenter: "Dodo, l’enfant do, l’enfant dor,"
2 Carpenter: "au"
3 omitted by Carpenter.
Text Authorship:
- by Émile Cammaerts (1878 - 1953), "Berceuse de guerre", written 1916, appears in Messines and other poems, first published 1918 [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 John Alden Carpenter (1876 - 1951), "Berceuse de guerre", 1918, published 1918 [ medium voice or high voice and piano ], New York : G. Schirmer [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Tita Brand) , "A war lullaby"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2016-05-19
Line count: 36
Word count: 168
A war lullaby
Language: English after the French (Français)
Sleep, sleep, baby, sleep, Baby soon will be asleep. The fire dwindles and the wind moans, The rain lashes the window-panes. – Is it blowing or raining there? Hailing or thundering, perhaps? Sleep, sleep, baby, sleep. – Is he well? Is he warm? Is he lacking naught? Has he all he wants? His coat, his matches, and his gloves, And, in his pocket, next his heart, My last letter And all its love? Baby soon will be asleep. – The lamp burns low, the fire dwindles. – We shall have to go to bed. The child is clasping its wee fists. – Is my big child sleeping, too? Sleeping peacefully before the battle? Is he running madly Through the shells? Or is he lying in some hole, With open mouth and with closed eyes? Sleep, sleep, baby, sleep. – [... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...]
From Carpenter's score.
Note: for completeness, Laura Prichard has provided a translation of the seven last lines:
The baby whimpers, the wind ruffles the curtains, The [candle] wick burns out. The baby rolls over in his cradle, The rain falls silently, the night shivers. It is sad be be afraid… Baby soon will be asleep… From the fury of the Germans, deliver us, Lord!
Text Authorship:
- by Tita Brand (1878 - 1953), "A war lullaby" [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Émile Cammaerts (1878 - 1953), "Berceuse de guerre", written 1916, appears in Messines and other poems, first published 1918
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Laura Prichard [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2016-05-19
Line count: 38
Word count: 140