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[Au bord]1 d'un torrent, Ophélie Cueillait tout en suivant le bord, Dans sa douce et tendre folie, Des pervenches, des boutons d'or, Des iris aux couleurs d'opale, Et de ces fleurs d'un rose pâle, Qu'on appelle des doigts de mort. Puis élevant sur ses mains blanches Les riants trésors du matin, Elle les suspendait aux branches, Aux branches d'un saule voisin; Mais, trop faible, le rameau plie, Se brise, et la pauvre Ophélie Tombe, sa guirlande à la main. Quelques instants, sa robe enflée La tint encor sur le courant, Et comme une voile gonflée, Elle flottait toujours, chantant, Chantant quelque vieille ballade, Chantant ainsi qu'une naïade Née au milieu de ce torrent. Mais cette étrange mélodie Passa rapide comme un son; Par les flots la robe alourdie Bientôt dans l'abîme profond; Entraïna la pauvre insensée, Laissant à peine commencée Sa mélodieuse chanson.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Berlioz: "Auprès"
Text Authorship:
- by Ernest-Wilfrid Legouvé (1807 - 1903) [an adaptation] [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 7
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Hector Berlioz (1803 - 1869), "La mort d'Ophélie", op. 18 no. 2 (1841-2), published 1848 [ soli, chorus, and piano or orchestra ], from Tristia, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Pauline Duchambge (1778 - 1858), "Ophélie", subtitle: "Ballade imitée de Shakespeare", published [1841] [ high voice and piano ], from Album Musical (pour l'année 1841). 8 romances et chansonnettes, no. 6, Paris, Éd. Chabal & Grus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921), "La Mort d'Ophélie", c1857, published 1858 [ high voice and piano ], Éd. Richault [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Adrien Dézamy (1844 - 1891) ; composed by Delphine Ugalde.
- 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.]
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The death of Ophelia", copyright © 2019
- GER German (Deutsch) (Emma Klingenfeld) , "Der Tod der Ophelia"
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "La morte di Ofelia", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Pablo Sabat) , "La muerte de Ofelia", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-13
Line count: 28
Word count: 144
Beside a stream, Ophelia, Following along the bank, gathered, In her soft and gentle lunacy, Periwinkles, buttercups, Irises the colour of opal, And those pale, rose-coloured flowers They call Dead Men's Fingers. Then, lifting in her white hands The happy treasure of the morning, She hung them from the branches, From the branches of a nearby weeping willow; But too weak, the branch bends, [Then] breaks, and poor Ophelia Falls, her garland in her hand. For a while, her swollen dress Bore her on the current, And like a full sail, She kept floating, singing, Singing some ancient ballad, Singing like a water-sprite Born in this stream's domain. But this strange song Faded, as rapidly as a sound, For the waves soon made her dress heavy And down into the depths Dragged the poor senseless girl, Leaving her melodious song Hardly yet begun.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2019 by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet ArchiveFor any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
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Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Ernest-Wilfrid Legouvé (1807 - 1903) [an adaptation]
Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 7
This text was added to the website: 2019-11-20
Line count: 28
Word count: 143