J'ai cherché trente ans, mes sœurs,
    Où s'est-il caché?
J'ai marché trente ans, mes sœurs,
    Sans m'en approcher...
 
J'ai marché trente ans, mes sœurs,
    Et mes pieds sont las,
II était partout, mes sœurs,
    Et n'existe pas...
 
L'heure est triste enfin, mes sœurs,
    Ôtez mes sandales,
Le soir meurt aussi, mes sœurs,
    Et mon âme a mal...
 
Vous avez seize ans, mes sœurs,
    Allez loin d'ici,
Prenez mon bourdon, mes sœurs,
    Et cherchez aussi...

About the headline (FAQ)

First published in the revue La Plume, no. 94, March 15, 1893, under the title "Extraits inédits de la Quenouille et la Besace"; later in Douze Chansons, 1896; then in Serres chaudes suivies de Quinze Chansons, 1900.

Text Authorship:

• by Maurice Maeterlinck (1862 - 1949), no title, appears in Quinze Chansons, no. 13 [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 Jean Absil (1893 - 1974), "J'ai cherché trente ans", op. 12 no. 3 (1933), published 1962 [ mezzo-soprano or baritone and piano ], from Quatre poèmes de Maeterlinck, no. 3, Bruxelles, Éd. CéBeDeM [sung text not yet checked]
• by Joseph Béesau (1871 - 1940), "Chanson", published 1920 [ high voice and piano ], from Vingt mélodies, no. 9, Paris, Senart [sung text not yet checked]
• by Willem van der Bilt (1901 - 1990), "Chanson", 1952, published 1979 [ medium voice and piano ], Amsterdam, Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
• by Marcelle Friedmann (1899 - 1982), "J'ai cherché trente ans", 1921, published [1921] [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. Maurice Senart & Cie. [sung text not yet checked]
• by Irène Fuerison (1875 - 1931), "J'ai cherché trente ans", op. 16 (1915) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Henri Stierlin-Vallon (1887 - 1952), "J'ai cherché trente ans, mes sœurs", published 1919 [ medium voice and piano ], from Chansons tristes, 7 poèmes de Maurice Maeterlinck, no. 2, Genève, Ad. Henn [sung text not yet checked]
• by Boleslav Leopoldovitch Yavorsky (1877 - 1942), "J'ai cherché trente ans", op. 5 no. 2 (1905), published 1915 [ medium voice and piano ], from Chansons de Maeterlinck pour chant et piano, no. 2, Moscow, Éd. P. Jurgenson, also set in Russian (Русский) [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

• Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Vyacheslav Karatygin (1875 - 1925) ; composed by Boleslav Leopoldovitch Yavorsky.
  • 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 (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: 2009-01-30
Line count: 16
Word count: 74

I've searched for thirty years, my sisters,
where has he hidden?
I've walked for thirty years, my sisters,
without coming close...

I've walked for thirty years, my sisters,
and my feet are tired,
he was everywhere, my sisters,
and does not exist...

The time is sad at last, my sisters,
take off my sandals,
the evening too is dying, my sisters,
and my soul is sore...

You are sixteen years old, my sisters,
go far from here,
take my pilgrim's staff, my sisters,
and search too...