Les nuages voguent, et les vagues déferlent

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by Bernhardt Severin Ingemann (1789 - 1862)

Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Skyerne flyve, og Bølgerne gaae

Language: Danish (Dansk)

Our translations: FRE

Skyerne flyve, og Bølgerne gaae.
Foroven de funklende Stjerner staae;
De glimte paa Skyer og Bølger.

Skyen vil seile til Stjernernes Havn;
Hver Bølge vil tage Himlen i Favn —
Et Blink — og Natten dem dølger.

Glad Skyen dog smelter i himmelsk Strøm;
Hver Bølge henruller i salig Drøm:
— Et Blink af Himlen dem følger.

Et Stjernespeil er det Svundnes Grav;
Hvert Blink er Glimt fra et Straalehav —
Og Livshavet evige Bølger.

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Text Authorship:

by Bernhardt Severin Ingemann (1789 - 1862), "Sommernatsblink" [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 Agathe Ursula Backer-Grøndahl (1847 - 1907), "Sommernattsblink", op. 9 (Seks Sange) no. 6 (1878), published 1879 [ voice and piano ]
Score: IMSLP [external link] [sung text not yet checked]

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

FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2022-08-19
Line count: 12
Word count: 75

Les nuages voguent, et les vagues...

Language: French (Français) after the Danish (Dansk)

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Les nuages voguent, et les vagues déferlent.
Au-dessus brillent les étoiles scintillantes ;
Elles étincellent sur les nuages et les vagues.

Le nuage veut naviguer vers le port des étoiles ;
Chaque vague veut enlacer le ciel.
Un éclair,  et la nuit les dissimule.

Heureux, le nuage se fond pourtant dans le courant céleste ;
Chaque vague roule dans un rêve bienheureux :
Un éclat du ciel les suit.

Un miroir d’étoiles est la tombe de ce qui a disparu ;
Chaque éclat est une lueur provenant d’un océan de rayons
Et les vagues éternelles l’océan de la vie.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translations of titles:
"Sommernatsblink" = "Éclat d'une nuit d'été"
"Sommernattsblink" = "Éclat d'une nuit d'été"

Text Authorship:

Translation from Danish (Dansk) 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.

Based on:

a text in Danish (Dansk) by Bernhardt Severin Ingemann (1789 - 1862), "Sommernatsblink"
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-10-28
Line count: 12
Word count: 94