by
Franz Toussaint (1879 - 1955)
La fontaine des gazelles
Language: French (Français) after the Arabic (العربية)
Elles ne viennent y boire qu'au crépuscule.
Une à une et inquiètes, elles surgissent de l'ombre
et elles cherchent le lambeau de ciel que sa conque réfléchit.
Ainsi, attends-tu la nuit pour pénétrer dans ma demeure,
et, avant de baiser mes lèvres,
cherches-tu à voir dans mes yeux l'enchantement de mon âme.
Confirmed with Franz Toussaint, Le jardin des caresses, Paris : H. Piazza, 1919, p.109
Text Authorship:
Based on:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Jacqueline Despas (1893 - 1968), "La fontaine des gazelles", published 1923 [ medium voice and piano ], from Poèmes Arabes, no. 15, Paris, Éd. Jobert [sung text not yet checked]
- by Pierre Paubon (1910 - 1995), "La fontaine des gazelles", published 1949 [ voice and piano ], from Sept mélodies, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Vincenzo Tommasini (1878 - 1950), "La fontaine des gazelles", 1919 [ voice and piano ], from Cinq mélodies, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2024-11-13
Line count: 6
Word count: 52
The Spring of the Gazelles
Language: English after the French (Français)
They come there to drink only at dusk.
One by one, nervously, they rise from the shadows
and seek the scrap of sky reflected in its gorge.
Thus, wait for night to enter my house,
and, before kissing my lips,
look into my eyes to find my soul's enchantment.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2026 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.
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Based on:
Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2026-02-27
Line count: 6
Word count: 49
