Le bonheur est chose légère (Barbier, set by (Charles Camille Saint-Saëns)) (The LiederNet Archive: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)

by (Paul) Jules Barbier (1825 - 1901) and by Michel Carré (1822 - 1872)

Le bonheur est chose légère

Language: French (Français)

Available translation(s): ENG

Le bonheur est chose légère,
  Passagère,
On croit l'attendre, on le poursuit,
  Il s'enfuit!
Hélas! Vous en voulez un autre
  Que le nôtre;
Il faut à vos ardents désirs
  Des plaisirs.
Dieu vous préserve des alarmes
  Et des larmes
Qui peuvent assombrir le cours
  Des beaux jours.

Si jamais votre coeur regrette
  La retraite
Qu'aujourd'hui vous abandonnez,
  Revenez!
De tous les chagrins de votr'âme,
  Je réclame
Pour notre fidèle amitié
  La moitié.

Authorship

by (Paul) Jules Barbier (1825 - 1901), written 1864 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
by Michel Carré (1822 - 1872), written 1864 [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 Charles Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921), "Le bonheur est chose légère", 1864, published 1890 [high voice, piano, violin ad libitum], Durand [
text verified 1 time
]

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

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 72