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by Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle (1818 - 1894)
Translation © by Amy Pfrimmer
Nox
Language: French (Français)
Our translations: ENG
Sur [les pentes]1 des monts, les brises apaisées Inclinent au sommeil les arbres onduleux ; L'oiseau silencieux s'endort dans la rosée, Et l'étoile a doré l'écume des flots bleus. [Au contour des ravins, sur les hauteurs sauvages, Une molle vapeur efface les chemins ; La lune tristement baigne les noirs feuillages ;]2 L'oreille n'entend plus les murmures humains Mais sur le sable, au loin, chante la mer divine, Et des hautes forêts gémit la grande voix Et l'air sonore, aux cieux que la nuit illumine, Porte le chant des mers et le soupir des bois. Montez, saintes rumeurs, paroles surhumaines ! Entretien lent et doux de la terre et du ciel. Montez et demandez aux étoiles sereines S'il est, pour les atteindre un chemin éternel. O mers ! O bois songeurs voix pieuses du monde, Vous m'avez répondu durant mes jours mauvais Vous avez apaisé ma tristesse inféconde, Et dans mon cœur aussi vous chantez à jamais.
A. Lavagne sets stanzas 2-4
1 Vierne: "la pente"
2 omitted by Koechlin.
Text Authorship:
- by Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle (1818 - 1894), "Nox", written 1852, appears in Poèmes antiques, in Poésies diverses, no. 3, Paris, Éd. Librairie Marc Ducloux, first published 1852 [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 Aloys Claussmann (1850 - 1926), "Nox", op. 31 no. 2, published 1897 [ medium voice and piano ], Éd. Veuve Richault Mère [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Koechlin (1867 - 1950), "Nox", op. 15 (Trois mélodies) no. 3 (1899-1900) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by André Lavagne (1913 - 2014), "Nox", published 1942, stanzas 2-4 [ high voice and piano or orchestra ], Éd. Pierre Noël [sung text not yet checked]
- by Édouard Spencer , "Nox", published [1886] [ high voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. Veuve Girod [sung text not yet checked]
- by Georges Taconet (1889 - 1962), "Nox", op. 35, first performed 1934 [ high voice and piano ], unpublished [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis Vierne (1870 - 1937), "Nox", op. 26 no. 2 (1903), published 1910 [ voice and piano ], from Trois mélodies, no. 2, Paris, Pégat [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Amy Pfrimmer) , "Night", copyright © 2020, (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: 155
Night
Language: English after the French (Français)
On the [slopes]1 of the mountains, the tranquil breezes Incline the undulating trees to sleep; The silent bird falls asleep in the dew, And the star has touched the forthy blue waves with gold. On the edge of the ravines, on the fiery heights, A soft vapor clears away the paths; The moon sadly bathes the black leaves; The ear can no longer hear human murmuring But on the sand, in the distance, sings the divine sea, And from the tall forests wails its great voice And the air sings, to the skies that illuminate the night, Carrying the song of the seas and the sigh of the wood. Ascend! Holy words, superhuman words! Maintaining the slow and gentle harmony of the earth and the sky. Ascend! And ask the serene stars if there is an eternal path to reach them. O seas! O pensive woods, pious voices of the world, You answered me during my hardest days You have eased my barren sadness, And in my heart also you sing forever.
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Vierné: "slope"
1 Vierné: "slope"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2020 by Amy Pfrimmer, (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:
- a text in French (Français) by Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle (1818 - 1894), "Nox", written 1852, appears in Poèmes antiques, in Poésies diverses, no. 3, Paris, Éd. Librairie Marc Ducloux, first published 1852
This text was added to the website: 2020-02-29
Line count: 20
Word count: 173