In prayer | If the voice of a child can reach You

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by Stéphan Bordèse (1847 - 1919)

Translation © by David K. Smythe

En Prière

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG HUN

Si la voix d'un enfant peut monter jusqu'à Vous,
Ô mon Père,
Écoutez de Jésus, devant Vous à genoux,
La prière !
Si Vous m'avez choisi pour enseigner vos lois
Sur la terre, 
Je saurai Vous servir, auguste Roi des rois,
Ô Lumière !
Sur mes lèvres, Seigneur, mettez la vérité
Salutaire,
Pour que celui qui doute, avec humilité
Vous révère !
Ne m'abandonnez pas, donnez-moi la douceur
Nécessaire,
Pour apaiser les maux, soulager la douleur,
La misère !
Révèlez Vous à moi, Seigneur en qui je crois
Et j'espère :
Pour Vous je veux souffrir et mourir sur la croix,
Au calvaire !

Text Authorship:

by Stéphan Bordèse (1847 - 1919), "En Prière", appears in Contes mystiques, no. 4 [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), "En Prière", 1889, published 1890 [ medium voice and piano or organ ], from Contes mystiques, no. 4, Éditions J. Hamelle [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (David K. Smythe) , "In prayer", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Tamás Dániel Csűry) , "Ima közben", copyright © 2010, (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: 20
Word count: 98

In prayer

Language: English after the French (Français)

If the voice of a child can reach You,
O my Father,
Listen to the prayer of Jesus, on his knees before You!

If You have chosen me to teach your laws
on earth,
I will know how to serve You, noble King of kings,
O Light!
On my lips, Lord, place the salutary 
truth,
In order that he who doubts should with humility 
revere You!
Do not abandon me, give me 
the necessary gentleness,
To ease suffering, to relieve sorrow,
the misery!
Reveal Yourself to me, Lord, in whom I believe
and hope:
For You I wish to suffer and to die on the cross,
at Calvary!

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © by David K. Smythe, (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 Stéphan Bordèse (1847 - 1919), "En Prière", appears in Contes mystiques, no. 4
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 19
Word count: 108