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by Arthur Rimbaud (1854 - 1891)
Translation © by Peter Low
Le dormeur du val
Language: French (Français)
Our translations: ENG
C'est un trou de verdure où chante une rivière Accrochant follement aux herbes des haillons D'argent; où le soleil de la montagne fière, Luit; C'est un petit val qui mousse de rayons. Un soldat jeune bouche ouverte, tête nue, Et la nuque baignant dans le frais cresson bleu, Dort; il est étendu dans l'herbe, sous la nue, Pale dans son lit vert où la lumière pleut. Les pieds dans les glaïeuls, il dort. Souriant comme Sourirait un enfant malade, il fait un somme: Nature, berce-le chaudement: il a froid. Les parfums ne font plus frissonner sa narine; Il dort dans le soleil, la main sur sa poitrine Tranquille. Il a deux trous rouges au coté droit.
Text Authorship:
- by Arthur Rimbaud (1854 - 1891), "Le Dormeur du val", written 1870, appears in Poésies, Paris, Éd. du Mercure de France, first published 1929 [author's text not yet checked 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 Hendrik Andriessen (1892 - 1981), "Le dormeur du val", 1935 [ voice and piano or orchestra ], from Trois pastorales, no. 2, Utrecht (Hollande), Éd. J.R. Van Rossum [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Alfred Bachelet (1864 - 1944), "Le dormeur du val", published 1915 [ mezzo-soprano or baritone and piano or orchestra ], Paris, Éd. "Au Ménestrel" Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean-Guy Bailly (1925 - 2009), "Le dormeur du val", 1989 [ baritone and piano ], from Trois poèmes d'Arthur Rimbaud, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis Bessières (1913 - 2011), "Le dormeur du val", published 1952 [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. Métropolitaines [sung text not yet checked]
- by Roger Boutry (b. 1932), "Le dormeur du val", 1956, published 1972 [ high voice, violin, and piano ], from Chansons du Sol, no. 1, Paris, Éd. Salabert [sung text not yet checked]
- by Pierre (Onfroy) de Bréville (1861 - 1949), "Le dormeur du val", c1943, unpublished [sung text not yet checked]
- by Francis Coiteux (b. 1944), "Le Dormeur du val", published 1997 [ medium voice and piano ], Éd. H. Lemoine [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean Philippe Dartois , "Le dormeur du val", 2023 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rudolf Escher (1912 - 1980), "Le dormeur du val", 1970, from Univers de Rimbaud, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bruno Gousset (b. 1958), "Le dormeur du val", op. 33 (1974-1989) [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Benoît Menut (b. 1977), "Le Dormeur du val", 2019, published 2019 [ vocal duet with piano ], Clichy, Éd. Musicales Artchipel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Léon Orthel (1905 - 1985), "Le dormeur du val", op. 58 no. 1, published 1972 [ high voice and piano ], from Trois chansonnettes, no. 1, Amsterdam, Donemus [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Vrchlický) , "Spáč v údolí"
- ENG English (Michael P Rosewall) , "The Sleeper of the Valley", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Peter Low) , "The Sleeper in the Vale", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Dezső Kosztolányi) , "A völgyben egy katona alszik"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 116
The Sleeper in the Vale
Language: French (Français) after the French (Français)
It's a hollow of greenery where a stream is singing and crazily hooking onto the grasses some strands of silver, and where the sun from the proud mountain shines down; it's a vale sparkling with sunbeams. A young soldier with mouth open and head bare, his neck bathing in the fresh blue watercress, is asleep; stretched out on the grass, under the clouds, pale in his green bed where light is pouring down. With his feet in the gladioli, he sleeps. Smiling as a sick child might smile, taking a nap. Nature, rock him warmly: he is cold. The smells do not now make his nostrils quiver; he's asleep in the sun, with one hand on his chest, tranquil. He has two red holes in his right side.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to French (Français) copyright © 2022 by Peter Low, (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:
- a text in French (Français) by Arthur Rimbaud (1854 - 1891), "Le Dormeur du val", written 1870, appears in Poésies, Paris, Éd. du Mercure de France, first published 1929
This text was added to the website: 2022-04-20
Line count: 14
Word count: 128