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It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

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by Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885)
Translation © by Peter Low

Sentiers où l'herbe se balance
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG
Sentiers où l'herbe se balance,
Vallons, côteaux, bois chevelus,
Pourquoi ce deuil et ce silence?
"Celui qui venait ne vient plus!"

Pourquoi personne à ta fenêtre?
Et pourquoi ton jardin sans fleurs?
Ô maison où donc est ton maître?
"Je ne sais pas! il est ailleurs."

Chien, veille au logis! "Pourquoi faire?
La maison est vide à présent!"
Enfant, qui pleures-tu? "Mon père!"
Femme, qui pleures-tu? "L'absent!"

Où donc est-il allé? "Dans l'ombre!"
Flots qui gémissez sur l'écueil,
D'où venez-vous? "Du bagne sombre!"
Et qu'apportez-vous? "Un cerceuil!"

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885), no title, written 1853, appears in Les Châtiments, in 3. La famille est restaurée, no. 11, first published 1853 [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), "L'Absent", op. 5 no. 3 (1871), published 1879 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Daniël de Lange (1841 - 1918), "Châtiments" [ high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Peter Low) , "The absent one", copyright © 2007, (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: 16
Word count: 87

The absent one
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
- You paths of swaying grass,
valleys, hills and leafy woods,
why are you grieving and silent?
- The man who came no longer comes.

- House, why is no one at your window?
And why has your garden no flowers?
Say, where is your master?
- I don't know, somewhere else.

- Dog, guard the dwelling! - What's the point?
The building is empty now.
- For whom are you weeping, child?  - For my father.
- And you, woman? - For the absent one.

- Where has he gone? - Into the shadow.
- And you, waves groaning on the rocks,
where have you come from? - The dark penal colony.
- And what are you carrying? - A coffin!

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2007 by Peter Low, (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 Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885), no title, written 1853, appears in Les Châtiments, in 3. La famille est restaurée, no. 11, first published 1853
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2007-11-07
Line count: 16
Word count: 107

Gentle Reminder

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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