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by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872)
Translation © by Peter Low
Tandis qu'à leurs œuvres perverses
Language: French (Français)
Tandis qu'à leurs œuvres perverses Les hommes courent haletants, Mars qui rit, malgré les averses, [Prépare]1 en secret le printemps. Pour les petites pâquerettes, Sournoisement, lorsque tout dort, Il repasse des collerettes Et cisèle des boutons d'or. Dans le verger et dans la vigne, Il s'en va, furtif perruquier, Avec une houppe de cygne, Poudrer à frimas l'amandier. La nature au lit se repose ; Lui, descend au jardin désert Et lace les boutons de rose Dans leur corset de velours vert. Tout en composant des solfèges, Qu'aux merles il siffle à mi-voix, Il sème aux prés les perce-neiges Et les violettes aux bois. Sur le cresson de la fontaine Où le cerf boit, l'oreille au guet, De sa main cachée il égrène Les grelots d'argent du muguet. Sous l'herbe, pour que tu la cueilles, Il met la fraise au teint vermeil Et te tresse un chapeau de feuilles Pour te garantir du soleil. Puis, lorsque sa besogne est faite, Et que son règne va finir, Au seuil d'avril tournant la tête, Il dit : « Printemps, tu peux venir ! »
C. Gounod sets stanzas 1-2, 4, 6-8
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)First appeared in the journal La Presse, April 7, 1851, and then in Émaux et Camées in 1852.
1 Gounod: "Mars prépare"Text Authorship:
- by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872), "Premier sourire du printemps", written 1851, appears in Émaux et Camées, first published 1851 [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 Gaston Brenta (1902 - 1969), "Premier sourire du printemps", published 1958 [ soprano and SAA chorus a cappella ], from Deux chœurs a cappella pour soprano solo et trois voix égales, no. 1, Paris, Édition française de musique [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jules César Léopold de Calonne, Vicomte , "Mars et avril", op. 17, published 1853 [ high voice and piano ], Paris, Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Marc Delmas (1885 - 1931), "Premier sourire du printemps", op. 28 (Cinq mélodies) no. 4, published 1913 [ high voice and piano ], Paris, J. Hamelle [sung text not yet checked]
- by André Devaere (1890 - 1914), "Premier sourire de printemps", op. 1 no. 1 (1911) [ high voice and piano ], from Cinq mélodies, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Benjamin Louis Paul Godard (1849 - 1895), "Chanson de Mars", op. 102 no. 3, published 1888? [ voice and piano ], from Chansons de Mois, no. 3, Paris, Choudens [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Gounod (1818 - 1893), "Primavera", CG 430 (1852-1858), published 1867, stanzas 1-2,4,6-8 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Choudens, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Victor Massé (1822 - 1884), "Premier sourire de printemps", published 1874 [ voice and piano ], from Vingt mélodies pour chant et piano, 2ème recueil , no. 3, Paris, Gérard [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hortense de Mertens (d. 1908), "Le premier sourire de printemps", published 1876 [ high voice and piano ], Paris, Aymard Dignat [sung text not yet checked]
- by Édouard Pascal , "Premier sourire de printemps", published 1874 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], from 25 Morceaux de chant, 2ème recueil, no. 20 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Émile Pessard (1843 - 1917), "Printemps, tu peux venir", published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from Vingt mélodies, no. 19, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Leduc [sung text not yet checked]
- by Casimir Renard (b. 1853), "Premier sourire du printemps", op. 263, published 1928 [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Hayet [sung text not yet checked]
- by Léon Torck (1903 - 1969), "Premier sourire du printemps", op. 4, four-part mixed chorus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Victor Frédéric Verrimst (1825 - 1893), "Premier sourire de printemps", published 1890 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Mackar & Noël [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anselm Vinée (1847 - 1921), "Primavera", op. 12 [ unison women's chorus or children's chorus ], Paris, Fromont [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Ernst Pasqué (1821 - 1892) ; composed by Charles Gounod.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CHI Chinese (中文) (Dr Huaixing Wang) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Peter Low) , copyright © 2022, (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: 32
Word count: 179
While men, perversely active
Language: English after the French (Français)
While men, perversely active, are running about panting, March, who laughs despite the showers, is secretly preparing Spring. Slyly, while everything sleeps, he smooths the collars of the little daisies, and crafts the buttercups. In the orchards and in the vines he walks, a furtive wigmaker, using a swan's tuft to powder the almond-tree with frost. While Nature sleeps in her bed, he goes down to the deserted garden and laces the rosebuds in their corsets of green velvet. Composing tunes all the while which he softly whistles to the blackbirds, he sows snowdrops in the meadows and violets in the woods. Under the cress of the stream where the stag cautiously drinks, he strokes with his hidden hand the silver bells of lily-of-the-valley. Under the grass, for you to gather, he places crimson strawberries, and weaves you a hat of leaves to shelter you from the sun. Then, when his task is finished and his reign is about to end, at the threshold of April, he turns his head, and says: "Spring, you may come now!"
About the headline (FAQ)
Translation of title "Premier sourire du printemps" = "The First Smile of Spring"Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872), "Premier sourire du printemps", written 1851, appears in Émaux et Camées, first published 1851
This text was added to the website: 2022-04-20
Line count: 32
Word count: 177