by
Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852)
When thou art nigh
Language: English
When thou art nigh, it seems
A new creation round ;
The sun hath fairer beams,
The lute a softer sound.
Though thee alone I see,
And hear alone thy sigh,
'Tis light, 'tis song to me,
'Tis all when thou art nigh.
When thou art nigh, no thought
Of grief comes o'er my heart ;
I only think could aught
But joy be where thou art ?
Life seems a waste of breath,
When far from thee I sigh ;
And death ay, even death
Were sweet, if thou wert nigh.
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Adolph Martin Foerster (1854 - 1927), "When thou art nigh", op. 45 (Four Songs) no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Gounod (1818 - 1893), "When thou art nigh", CG. 474 [ medium voice and piano ], London, Chappell & Co [sung text not yet checked]
- by Cuthbert Harris (1870 - 1932), "When thou art nigh", published 1891, from Seven Songs, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-11-18
Line count: 16
Word count: 88
Quand tu es près de moi
Language: French (Français) after the English
Quand tu es près de moi, il me semble
Qu’un nouveau monde apparaît tout autour ;
Le soleil a des rayons plus beaux,
Le luth un son plus doux.
Même si je ne vois que toi,
Et n'entends que tes soupirs,
C'est pour moi lumière et chant,
C'est tout quand tu es près de moi.
Quand tu es près de moi, aucun sentiment
De chagrin ne vient envahir mon cœur ;
À quoi d’autre pourrais-je penser
Qu’à la joie d’être là où tu es ?
La vie semble un ouffle perdu,
Quand loin de toi je soupire ;
Et la mort, oui, même la mort
Serait douce, si tu étais près de moi.
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.
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Based on:
- a text in English by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), "When thou art nigh"
This text was added to the website: 2026-06-10
Line count: 16
Word count: 109
