Sous l'eau du songe qui s'élève Mon âme a peur, mon âme a peur. Et la lune luit dans mon cœur Plongé dans les sources du rêve ! Sous l'ennui morne des roseaux. Seul [les reflets profonds]1 des choses, Des lys, des palmes et des roses Pleurent encore au fond des eaux. Les fleurs s'effeuillent une à une Sur le reflet du firmament. Pour descendre, éternellement [Dans]2 l'eau du songe et dans la lune.
First published in the revue La Pléiade, June 1886, and later in Serres Chaudes, 1889.
1 Boulanger: "le reflet profond"2 Boulanger: "Sous"
Text Authorship:
- by Maurice Maeterlinck (1862 - 1949), "Reflets", written 1886, appears in Serres chaudes, Paris, Éd. Léon Vanier, first published 1889 [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 Lili Boulanger (1893 - 1918), "Reflets", 1911, published 1911 [ medium voice and piano or orchestra ], Ricordi [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Raoul Gradis (1861 - 1943), "Reflets" [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Thomas Oboe Lee (b. 1945), "Reflets", 2020 [ voice and piano ], from Chansons de Maeterlinck, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carlos López Buchardo (1881 - 1948), "Reflets", 1916, first performed 1916 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Émile Naoumoff (b. 1962), "Reflets" [ high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Luctor Ponse (1914 - 1998), "Reflets", 1940-41, published 1950 [ high voice and piano or orchestra ], from Trois chants, no. 2, Amsterdam, Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Lev L'vovich Kobylinsky (1889 - 1947) ; composed by Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Bernard Miall) , first published 1915
- ENG English (Korin Kormick) , "Reflections", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Franziska Heinzen) , "Widerspiegelungen", copyright © 2020, (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: 73
Under the brimming tide of dreams, O, my soul is full of fear! In my heart the moon is clear; Deep it lies in the tide of dreams. Under the listless reeds asleep, Only the deep reflection shows Of palm, of lily, of rose, Weeping yet in the waters deep. And the flowers, late and soon, Fall upon the mirrored sky, To sink and sink eternally Thro’ dreamy waters and the moon.
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Text Authorship:
- by Bernard Miall (1876 - 1953), first published 1915 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Maurice Maeterlinck (1862 - 1949), "Reflets", written 1886, appears in Serres chaudes, Paris, Éd. Léon Vanier, first published 1889
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2019-07-21
Line count: 12
Word count: 72