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by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872)
Translation © by Marike Lindhout

Connaissez‑vous la blanche tombe
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG ENG GER ITA SPA
Connaissez-vous la blanche tombe,
Où flotte avec un son plaintif
  L'ombre d'un if ?
Sur l'if une pâle colombe,
Triste et seule au soleil couchant,
  Chante son chant :

Un air maladivement tendre,
À la fois charmant et fatal,
  Qui vous fait mal,
Et qu'on voudrait toujours entendre ;
Un air, comme en soupire aux cieux
  L'ange amoureux. 

On dirait que l'âme éveillée
Pleure sous terre à l'unisson
  De la chanson,
Et du malheur d'être oubliée
Se plaint dans un roucoulement
  Bien doucement.

Sur les ailes de la musique
On sent lentement revenir
  Un souvenir;
Une [ombre de forme]1 angélique,
Passe dans un rayon tremblant,
  En voile blanc.

Les belles-de-nuit demi-closes,
Jettent leur parfum faible et doux
  Autour de vous,
Et le fantôme aux molles poses
Murmure en vous tendant les bras:
  « Tu reviendras ? »

Oh! jamais plus, près de la tombe,
Je n'irai, quand descend le soir
  Au manteau noir,
Écouter la pâle colombe
Chanter sur la [branche]2 de l'if
  Son chant plaintif !

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   H. Berlioz •   H. Duparc •   P. Hersant 

H. Duparc sets stanzas 1, 3, 6
P. Hersant sets stanza 4
E. de Polignac sets stanzas 1-5

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Théophile Gauthier, La comédie de la mort, Desessart editeur, Paris, 1838, page 305.

1 Berlioz: "ombre, une forme"
2 Duparc, Berlioz: "pointe"

Text Authorship:

  • by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872), "Lamento", appears in La Comédie de la Mort, first published 1838 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Hector Berlioz (1803 - 1869), "Au cimetière", op. 7 no. 5 (1840) [ voice and orchestra ], from Les Nuits d'Été, no. 5, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Allyre Bureau (1810 - 1859), "La blanche tombe", 1837-8, published 1840 [ voice and English horn or cello ], from Deux mélodies pour chant et piano (poésies de Gautier), no. 1, Paris, chez Ad. Catelin & Cie. [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Henri Duparc (1848 - 1933), "Lamento", 1883, published 1895, stanzas 1,3,6 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Rouart, Lerolle & Cie (Salabert) [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Philippe Hersant (b. 1948), "Lamento", 1998, stanza 4 [ duet for mezzo-soprano and baritone with piano ], Paris, Durand [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Émile Paladilhe (1844 - 1926), "La colombe - Lamento", published 1906 [ high voice and piano ], from Feuilles au vent - 1ère série, no. 4, Paris, Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Edmond de Polignac, prince (1834 - 1901), "Lamento", stanzas 1-5 [ voice and piano or orchestra ], Édition G. Hartmann [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Peter Cornelius (1824 - 1874) , "Auf dem Friedhofe" ; composed by Hector Berlioz.
    • Go to the text.
  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Peter Cornelius (1824 - 1874) ; composed by Hector Berlioz.
    • Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Marike Lindhout) , "Lamento", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Lament", copyright ©
  • ENG English (Kyle Gee) , "Lament", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Alberto Bonati) , copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2003-10-20
Line count: 36
Word count: 164

Lamento
Language: Dutch (Nederlands)  after the French (Français) 
Kent U de witte tombe, 
Waar zweeft met een klagend geluid 
De schaduw van een taxusboom?
Op de taxusboom een bleke duif, 
Droevig en alleen in de ondergaande zon,
Zingt zijn lied:








Je zou zeggen dat de ontwaakte ziel, 
Huilt onder de aarde, eenstemmig
Met het lied,
En over het ongeluk vergeten te zijn 
Zich beklaagt in gekoer 
Heel zachtjes.















O! Nooit meer dicht bij de tombe 
Zal ik gaan, wanneer de avond valt 
In zijn zwarte mantel, 
Om de bleke duif te horen 
Zingen, hoog in de taxusboom
Zijn klaaglijk lied.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to Dutch (Nederlands) copyright © 2007 by Marike Lindhout, (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 Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872), "Lamento", appears in La Comédie de la Mort, first published 1838
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2007-05-10
Line count: 18
Word count: 92

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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