Sur la terre il tombe de la neige
Language: French (Français)
Sur la terre il tombe de la neige,
Sur la terre il tombe de l'ombre.
Où sont allées les feuilles sèches ?
Même les feuilles sèches sont mortes,
Et maintenant de la neige et de l'ombre tombent.
On dirait de mauvais anges qui heurtent
Les marteaux rouillés contre les portes,
Des anges qui nous tuent de souffrances très lentes.
Et, à l'horizon, les tristes nues, traînantes..
Les maisons sont closes comme des tombes sombres,
Et, partout, c'est de la neige et de l'ombre qui tombent.
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• L. Michielsen About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with André-Ferdinand Herold, Chevaleries sentimentales, Paris: Librairie de l'art indépendant, 1893, page 97.
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):
- by Joseph Béesau (1871 - 1940), "Sur la terre il tombe de la neige", published 1920 [ high voice and piano ], from Vingt mélodies, no. 17, Paris, Senart [sung text not yet checked]
- by Leonard Pieter Joseph Michielsen (1872 - 1944), "Sur la terre il tombe" [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ernest Moret (1871 - 1949), "De la neige et de l'ombre tombent", published 1921 [ medium voice and piano ], from Trois mélodies [1921], no. 3, Paris, Éd. 'Au Ménestrel' Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust
[Administrator] , Grant Hicks
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2010-04-03
Line count: 11
Word count: 84
Upon the earth snow is falling
Language: English after the French (Français)
Upon the earth snow is falling,
Upon the earth shadow is falling.
Where have the dry leaves gone?
Even the dry leaves are dead,
And now snow and shadow are falling.
They seem like ill angels who beat
Rusted hammers against the doors,
Angels who kill us with drawn-out suffering.
And on the horizon, sad clouds, trailing...
The houses are closed up like somber tombs,
And, everywhere, it is snow and shadow that fall.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"De la neige et de l'ombre tombent" = "Snow and shadow are falling"
"Sur la terre il tombe" = "Upon the earth it falls"
"Sur la terre il tombe de la neige" = "Upon the earth snow is falling"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2026 by Grant Hicks, (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.
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Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2026-08-30
Line count: 11
Word count: 74
