Galop (Sully-Prudhomme, set by (Théodore Dubois, Henri Duparc, George Enescu, Louis Vierne)) (The LiederNet Archive: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by René-François Sully-Prudhomme (1839 - 1907)

Translation © by Marike Lindhout

Le galop

Language: French (Français)

Available translation(s): DUT ENG ENG ENG

Agite, bon cheval, ta crinière fuyante,
Que l'air autour de nous se remplisse de voix !
Que j'entende craquer sous ta corne bruyante
Le gravier des ruisseaux et les débris des bois.

Aux vapeurs de tes flancs mêle ta chaude haleine,
Aux éclairs de tes pieds, ton écume et ton sang !
Cours, comme on voit un aigle, en effleurant la plaine
Fouetter l'herbe d'un vol sonore et frémissant !

« Allons, les jeunes gens, à la nage! à la nage! »
Crie à ses cavaliers le vieux chef de tribu ;
Et les fils du désert respirent le pillage,
Et les chevaux sont fous du grand air qu'ils ont bu !

Nage ainsi dans l'espace, ô mon cheval rapide,
Abreuve-moi d'air pur, baigne-moi dans le vent ;
L'étrier bat ton ventre, et j'ai lâché la bride.
Mon corps te touche à peine, il vole en te suivant.

Brise tout, le buisson, la barrière ou la branche ;
Torrents, fossés, talus, franchis tout d'un seul bond ;
Cours, je rêve, et sur toi, les yeux clos, je me penche...
Emporte, emporte-moi dans l'inconnu profond!

L. Vierne sets stanzas 1-2, 4-5

Authorship

by René-François Sully-Prudhomme (1839 - 1907), "Le galop", written 1865, appears in Stances et Poèmes, in 1. Stances, in 4. Mélanges, no. 19, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1866 [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 (François-Clément) Théodore Dubois (1837 - 1924), "Le galop" [sung text checked 1 time]
by (Marie Eugène) Henri (Fouques) Duparc (1848 - 1933), "Le galop", 1869, published 1948 [sung text checked 1 time]
by George Enescu (1881 - 1955), "Le galop", op. 4 no. 2 (1898), published 1899, first performed 1898 [ voice and piano ], from Trois Mélodies, no. 2, Éd. Enoch [sung text not yet checked]
by Louis Vierne (1870 - 1937), "Le galop", op. 29 no. 5 (1912), published 1913, stanzas 1-2,4-5 [ high voice and piano or orchestra ], from Stances d'amour et de rêve, no. 5, Éd. Durand et Cie [sung text checked 1 time]

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

DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Marike Lindhout) , "Galop", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Ahmed E. Ismail) , "The gallop", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Kyle Gee) , "The gallop", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Amy Pfrimmer) , "The gallop", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 184

Galop

Language: Dutch (Nederlands) after the French (Français)

Schud, goed paard, je wapperende manen,
Lucht om ons heen, vul je met stemmen,
Laat ik onder je hoeven horen 
Het knerpende grind en de krakende splinters.

De stoom van je flanken vermengt zich met je hete adem,
De sintels van je voeten met je bloed en je schuim,
Ren, zoals men een adelaar ziet zweven,
Gras geselend in een luid gonzende vlucht.

Kom! Jongens, zwemmen, zwemmen,
Spoort het oude stamhoofd zijn ruiters aan,
En de zonen van de woestijn wasemen plundering,
En de paarden snuiven dronken de frisse lucht. 

Zwem zo in de ruimte, o, mijn snelle ros.
Laaf me met zuivere lucht, baad me in de wind,
Beugels slaan tegen je buik, teugels laat ik vieren.
Mijn lichaam raakt je nauwelijks, het vliegt je achterna.

Breek alles, bosschages, barrières, bomen.
Beken, greppels, bermen, bedwongen in één sprong.
Ren, ren, ik droom, gekromd, mn ogen gesloten, 
Ontvoer me, ontvoer me naar het verre onbekende!

Authorship

Translation from French (Français) to Dutch (Nederlands) copyright © 2008 by Marike Lindhout, (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:

Based on

a text in French (Français) by René-François Sully-Prudhomme (1839 - 1907), "Le galop", written 1865, appears in Stances et Poèmes, in 1. Stances, in 4. Mélanges, no. 19, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1866

This text was added to the website: 2008-10-15
Line count: 20
Word count: 155