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Rive enchantée, Berceau de mes amours, Onde argentée, Image des beaux jours, Que ton cours est limpide ! Que ta fuite est rapide ! Ah ! pour mon cœur, C'est l'adieu du bonheur. Déjà ma lyre Gémit dans les roseaux, Et mon délire A fait frémir tes eaux. La naïade plaintive Se penche sur la rive Pour m'écouter, Me plaindre, et m'arrêter. Cette eau si belle T'abandonne en courant ; Moi, plus fidèle, Je m'éloigne en pleurant. Demain celui que j'aime M'appellera lui-même : Vœux superflus ! Je ne l'entendrai plus. Ah ! dans ta course, Emporte mes tourments ; Mais, à ta source, Retiens tous mes serments. Si l'objet que j'adore Vient m'y chercher encore, Dis-lui qu'Amour T'a promis mon retour.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Les Œuvres poétiques de Marceline Desbordes-Valmore, Grenoble, Presses universitaires de Grenoble, 1973.
Text Authorship:
- by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (1786 - 1859), "À la Seine" [author's text checked 1 time 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 Dieudonné Duguet (1794 - 1849), "À la Seine", Liège, Duguet [sung text not yet checked]
- by Joseph Dominique Fabry-Garat (1774 - 1833), "Plainte d'amour", published 1816, Paris, Au magasin de musique de madame Bénoist [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alphonse Fontvanne , "Rive enchantée, berceau de mes amours", published 1819, Paris, Momigny [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean-Baptiste Pierre Lélu , "L'Adieu", published 1815, Paris, Lélu [sung text not yet checked]
- by P. Melchior , "L'Adieu", Paris, Henry Lemoine [sung text not yet checked]
- by Edmond Michotte (1831 - 1914), "Le Chant du pêcheur", published 1857, Paris, Ledentu [sung text not yet checked]
- by Camille Joseph Stephen Pleyel (1788 - 1855), "Rive enchantée", published c1818, Paris, Ignace Pleyel [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2025-04-01
Line count: 32
Word count: 115
Enchanted bank, Cradle of my loves, Silvered wave, Image of beautiful days, How limpid is your course! How rapid is your flight! Ah! for my heart, It is the parting of happiness. Already my lyre Wails among the reeds, And my delirium Has made your waters tremble. The plaintive naiad Leans over the bank To listen to me, Pity me, and hold me back. This water, so beautiful, Abandons you as it flows; I, being more faithful, Distance myself as I weep. Tomorrow the one I love Will call me himself: Superfluous wishes! I will no longer hear him. Ah! in your course, Carry away my torments; But, at your source, Hold on to all my vows. If the object of my adoration Comes to seek me there again, Tell him that Love Has promised my return.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"À la Seine" = "To the Seine"
"L'Adieu" = "The Farewell"
"Le Chant du pêcheur" = "The Song of the Fisherman"
"Plainte d'amour" = "Love's Complaint"
"Rive enchantée" = "Enchanted Bank"
"Rive enchantée, berceau de mes amours" = "Enchanted bank, cradle of my loves"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2025 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (1786 - 1859), "À la Seine"
This text was added to the website: 2025-10-19
Line count: 32
Word count: 138