Dawn | The stars fly away from the gardens of night

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Armand Silvestre (1837 - 1901)

Translation © by Peter Low

Des jardins de la nuit s'envolent les...

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: CAT ENG GER

Des jardins de la nuit s'envolent les étoiles,
Abeilles d'or qu'attire un invisible miel,
Et l'aube, au loin tendant la candeur de ses toiles,
Trame de fils d'argent le manteau bleu du ciel.

Du jardin de mon cœur qu'un rêve lent enivre
S'envolent mes désirs sur les pas du matin,
Comme un essaim léger qu'à l'horizon de cuivre,
Appelle un chant plaintif, éternel et lointain.

Ils volent à tes pieds, astres chassés des nues,
Exilés du ciel d'or où fleurit ta beauté
Et, cherchant jusqu'à toi des routes inconnues,
Mêlent au jour naissant leur mourante clarté.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Armand Silvestre (1837 - 1901), no title, written 1880-1882, appears in Le Pays de Roses, poésies nouvelles 1880-1882, in 1. Impressions et souvenirs, in 17. Matutina, no. 4, Paris, Éd. G. Charpentier, first published 1882 [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 Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924), "Aurore", op. 39 no. 1 (1884), published 1885, first performed 1884 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Aurora", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Peter Low) , "Dawn", copyright © 2001, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) (Martin Stock) , "Morgenröte", copyright © 2001, (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: 12
Word count: 96

Dawn

Language: English after the French (Français)

 The stars fly away from the gardens of night
 like golden bees attracted by invisible honey;
 and dawn in the distance, stretching her clear canvas,
 weaves with silver threads the blue cloak of the sky.
 
 My desires fly off at morning's approach
 out of the dream-drunk garden of my heart
 like a wafting swarm summoned to the red-tinged horizon
 by a chant that is plaintive, eternal and far.
 
 They fly to your feet, stars expelled from on high,
 exiled from the golden sky in which your beauty blossoms;
 and, seeking uncharted roads to travel to where you are,
 they mingle their dying light with the awakening day.

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2001 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 Armand Silvestre (1837 - 1901), no title, written 1880-1882, appears in Le Pays de Roses, poésies nouvelles 1880-1882, in 1. Impressions et souvenirs, in 17. Matutina, no. 4, Paris, Éd. G. Charpentier, first published 1882
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 108