by
Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928)
Before life and after
Language: English
Available translation(s): FRE
A time there was - as one may guess
And as, indeed, earth's testimonies tell -
Before the birth of consciousness,
When all went well.
None suffered sickness, love, or loss,
None knew regret, starved hope, or heart-burnings;
None cared whatever crash or cross
Brought wrack to things.
If something ceased, no tongue bewailed,
If something winced and waned, no heart was wrung;
If brightness dimmed, and dark prevailed,
No sense was stung.
But the disease of feeling germed,
And primal rightness took the tinct of wrong;
Ere nescience shall be reaffirmed
How long, how long?
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):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Christopher Park) , "Avant la vie et après", 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: 16
Word count: 94
Avant la vie et après
Language: French (Français)  after the English
Il fut un temps - comme on peut s’imaginer
Et, en effet, la terre en témoigne -
Avant la naissance de la conscience,
Où tout allait bien.
Personne ne souffrait de maladie, d'amour ou de perte,
Nul ne connaissait le regret, l'espoir déchu, ou le feu du cœur ;
Personne ne se souciait des chocs ou des obstacles
Qui désordonnaient les choses.
Si une chose cessait, aucune langue ne se lamentait,
Si une chose se fanait, aucun cœur ne se serrait ;
Si la lumière s'atténuait et les ténèbres dominaient,
Aucune raison n’en était blessée.
Mais la maladie des sentiments s’est déclarée,
Et le bien premier a pris la teinte du mal ;
Avant que la nescience ne soit réaffirmée.
Combien de temps, combien de temps ?
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2022 by Christopher Park, (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: 2022-06-26
Line count: 16
Word count: 122