Comme les anges à l'œil fauve, Je reviendrai dans ton alcôve Et vers toi glisserai sans bruit Avec les ombres de la nuit ; Et je te donnerai, ma brune, Des baisers froids comme la lune Et des caresses de serpent Autour d'une fosse rampant. Quand viendra le matin livide, Tu trouveras ma place vide, Où jusqu'au soir il fera froid. Comme d'autres par la tendresse, Sur ta vie et sur ta jeunesse, Moi, je veux régner par l'effroi.
Confirmed with Charles Baudelaire, Les Fleurs du mal, Paris: Poulet-Malassis et de Broise, 1857, in Spleen et Idéal, pages 166-167. Note: this was number 72 in the 1857 edition of Les Fleurs du mal but 63 or 65 in subsequent editions.
Authorship:
- by Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867), "Le revenant", appears in Les Fleurs du mal, in 1. Spleen et Idéal, no. 65, Paris, Poulet-Malassis et de Broise [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 Rodolphe Théophile Cahen d'Anvers, marquis de Torre Alfina , as Armand Bolsène, "Le Revenant" [ mezzo-soprano or tenor and piano ], from Frissons d'au delà, no. 4, Éd. E. Fromont [sung text not yet checked]
- by Albert Bertelin (1872 - 1951), "Le revenant" [ high voice and piano ], from Mélodies, no. 7, Éd. Loret Fils et H. Freytag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Stéphane Blet (b. 1969), "Le revenant", op. 100 no. 3 (2004?), published 2004 [ medium voice and piano ], from 4 Mélodies d’après “Les Fleurs du mal” de Baudelaire opus 100, no. 3, Éd. Combre [sung text not yet checked]
- by Léo Ferré (1916 - 1993), "Le revenant", published 1970 [ voice and piano ], Éd. S.E.M.I. Méridian [sung text not yet checked]
- by Swan Hennessy (1866 - 1929), "Le Revenant", op. 23 (Quatre Mélodies) no. 4 [ voice and piano ], Éd. J. Hamelle [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Hindemith (1895 - 1963), "Le revenant", 1944, published 1999 [ voice and piano ], Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Aimée Strohl (1865 - 1941), "Le Revenant", published 1901 [ voice and piano ], from Dix poésies mises en musique, no. 5, Paris: F. Toledo & Cie. [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Haasz) , "Příšera", Prague, J. Otto, first published 1919
- ENG English (Cyril Meir Scott) , "The Ghost", appears in The Flowers of Evil, London, Elkin Mathews, first published 1909
- GER German (Deutsch) (Stefan George) , "Das Gespenst", appears in Die Blumen des Bösen, in Trübsinn und Vergeisterung, Berlin: Bondi, first published 1901
Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2013-10-01
Line count: 14
Word count: 79
Einen engel mit wilden blicken · Meinen schatten werd ich ich dir schicken Er gleitet neben dich sacht Mit den gestalten der nacht. Ich gebe dir küsse · du feine · Kühl wie monden-scheine Und wie eine schlange feucht Die um eine grube kreucht. Mit dem morgen dem blassen Siehst du mein lager verlassen · Es bleibt bis zum abend kalt. Wie andre durch zartes bestreben Beherrsch ich dein junges leben Durch des schreckens gewalt.
Confirmed with Die Blumen des Bösen, Aus dem Zyklus: Trübsinn und Vergeisterung, translated by Stefan George, Berlin: Bondi, 1901, page 85.
Authorship:
- by Stefan George (1868 - 1933), "Das Gespenst", appears in Die Blumen des Bösen, in Trübsinn und Vergeisterung, Berlin: Bondi, first published 1901 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867), "Le revenant", appears in Les Fleurs du mal, in 1. Spleen et Idéal, no. 65, Paris, Poulet-Malassis et de Broise
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this text: Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2019-08-11
Line count: 14
Word count: 75