Ô toi, la plus belle et la plus brillante

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by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852)

Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Oh say, thou best and brightest

Language: English

Our translations: FRE

Oh say, thou best and brightest,
  My first love and my last,
When he, whom now thou slightest,
  From life's dark scene hath past,
Will kinder thoughts then move thee?
  Will pity wake one thrill
For him who lived to love thee,
  And, dying, loved thee still?

If, when that hour recalling
  From which he dates his woes,
Thou feel's a tear-drop falling,
  Ah! blush not while it flows: 
But all the past forgiving,
  Bend gently o'er his shrine,
And say, "This heart, when living,
  With all its faults, was mine!"

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), "Oh say, thou best and brightest : Spanish Air", appears in National Airs, 6th No., first published 1827 [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 W. H. J. Graham , "O say, thou blest and brightest", published 1866 [ voice and piano ], NY : Pond [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in Swedish (Svenska), a translation by Karl Alfred Melin (1849 - 1919) ; composed by Emil Sjögren.
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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2010-04-20
Line count: 16
Word count: 91

Ô toi, la plus belle et la plus...

Language: French (Français) after the English

Ô toi, la plus belle et la plus brillante,
  Mon premier amour et mon dernier,
Quand celui que tu dédaignes aujourd’hui
  Aura quitté la sombre scène de la vie,
Des pensées plus bienveillantes t’animeront-elles alors ?
  La pitié éveillera-t-elle un frémissement
Pour celui qui a vécu pour t’aimer,
  Et qui, mourant, t’aimait encore ?

Si, en te remémorant cette heure
  D'où datent ses malheurs,
Tu sens une larme couler,
  Ah ! ne rougis pas quand elle coule : 
Mais, pardonnant tout le passé,
  Penche-toi doucement sur son autel,
Et dis : « Ce cœur, de son vivant,
  Avec tous ses défauts, était le mien ! »

About the headline (FAQ)

Translations of titles:
"Oh say, thou best and brightest : Spanish Air" = "Ô toi, la plus belle et la plus brillante"
"O say, thou blest and brightest" = "Ô toi, la plus belle et la plus brillante"

Text Authorship:

Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2026 by Pierre Mathé, (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 English by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), "Oh say, thou best and brightest : Spanish Air", appears in National Airs, 6th No., first published 1827
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This text was added to the website: 2026-06-15
Line count: 16
Word count: 100