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Où vivre ? Dans quelle ombre Étouffer mon ennui ? Ma tristesse est plus sombre Que la nuit. Où mourir ? [Sous]1 quelle onde Noyer mon deuil amer ? Ma peine est plus profonde Que la mer. Où fuir ? De quelle [sorte]2 Égorger mon [remord]3 ? Ma douleur est plus forte Que la mort.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Les caresses, Nouvelle Édition, Paris, G. Charpentier, [no date], page 249.
1 Vierne: "Dans"2 Vierne: "honte"
3 Vierne: "remords"
Text Authorship:
- by Jean Richepin (1849 - 1926), no title, written 1877, appears in Les Caresses, in 4. Nivôse, no. 18, Paris, Éd. M. Dreyfous, first published 1882 [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 César Antonovich Cui (1835 - 1918), "Où vivre?", op. 44 no. 6 (1890) [ voice and piano ], from Vingt Poèmes de Jean Richepin, no. 6, Éd. "Au Menestrel" Henri Heugel, also set in Russian (Русский) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ernest Moret (1871 - 1949), "Où vivre ?", 1894, published 1900 [ high voice and piano ], from Chansons tristes, no. 4, Paris, Éd. Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Florent Schmitt (1870 - 1958), "Où vivre?", op. 45 no. 1 (1912), published 1912 [ voice and piano ], from 4 Lieds, no. 1, Paris, Éd. S. Chapelier [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Nikolay Aleksandrovich Sokolov (1859 - 1922), "Où vivre ? Dans quelle ombre étonffer mon ennui?", op. 30 (Cinq Mélodies pour Chant et Piano) no. 4, published 1897 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Belaieff [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis Vierne (1870 - 1937), "Angoisse", op. 48, Heft 4 (Nivôse) no. 3 (1924), published 1927 [ medium voice and piano ], from Le poème de l'amour, no. 14, Éd. H. Lemoine [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Olga Nikolayevna Chyumina (1864 - 1909) , "Без исхода", appears in Стихотворения 1892—1897 гг., in 5. Переводы из иностранных поэтов ; composed by Mikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov-Ivanov.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by César Antonovich Cui.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Corinne Orde) , "Anguish", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Francesco Campanella) , "Angoscia", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Grant Hicks [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 52
Where to live? In what shadow To smother my ennui? My sadness is darker Than night. Where to die? [Under]1 what wave To drown my bitter grief? My pain is deeper Than the sea. Where to flee? In what [way]2 To slaughter my remorse? My sorrow is stronger Than death.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Translations of titles:
"Angoisse" = "Anguish"
"Où vivre ?" = "Where to live?"
"Où vivre ? Dans quelle ombre étonffer mon ennui?" = "Where to live? In what shadow to smother my ennui?"
2 Vierne: "shame"
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 Jean Richepin (1849 - 1926), no title, written 1877, appears in Les Caresses, in 4. Nivôse, no. 18, Paris, Éd. M. Dreyfous, first published 1882
This text was added to the website: 2025-10-01
Line count: 12
Word count: 52