by
Gérard Labrunie (1808 - 1855), as Gérard de Nerval
Elle a passé, la jeune fille
Language: French (Français)
Elle a passé, la jeune fille
Vive et preste comme un oiseau :
À la main une fleur qui brille,
À la bouche un refrain nouveau.
C'est peut-être la seule au monde
Dont le cœur au mien répondrait,
Qui venant dans ma nuit profonde
D'un seul regard [l’éclaircirait]1 !
Mais non, - ma jeunesse est finie...
Adieu, doux rayon qui m'as lui, -
Parfum, jeune fille, harmonie...
Le bonheur passait, -- il a fui!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Auric, Corigliano: "l'éclairerait"
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Georges Auric (1899 - 1983), "Une allée du Luxembourg", 1925, published 1925 [ medium voice and piano ], from Cinq Poèmes de Gérard de Nerval, no. 5, Paris, Heugel [sung text checked 1 time]
- by John Corigliano (b. 1938), "Une allée du Luxembourg", from Petit Fours (A Song Cyclette), no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Edison Vasilyevich Denisov (1929 - 1996), "La Jeune Fille", 1989 [ tenor, flute, and piano ], from Four Poems by Gérard de Nerval, no. 1, Sikorski [sung text not yet checked]
- by Christophe Loiseleur des Longchamps (b. 1969), "Une allée du Luxembourg", 2005 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Colin Matthews (b. 1946), "Une allée du Luxembourg", 1971-1978, published 1979, first performed 1978 [ baritone and piano ], from Un Colloque Sentimental, no. 4, London, Faber Music [sung text not yet checked]
- by Léon Vercken (1828 - 1892), "Elle a passé" [ high voice and piano ], from Mélodies, no. 1, Paris, Éd. J. Naus [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (David Jonathan Justman) , "An alley in the Luxembourg Gardens", copyright ©, (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: 12
Word count: 70
An alley in the Luxembourg Gardens
Language: English after the French (Français)
She passed, the girl,
as lively and swift as a bird:
In her hand a brilliant flower,
In her mouth a new refrain.
Perhaps she's the only one in the world,
Whose heart would respond to mine,
Who, approaching in my deep night,
Would light it with a single look.
But no, - my youth is finished...
Adieu, gentle beam which enlightened me...
Perfume, girl, harmony...
Happiness has passed, - it has fled!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © by David Jonathan Justman, (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:
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 71
