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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.

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by Charles van Lerberghe (1861 - 1907)
Translation © by Pieter van der Woel

La messagère
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG GER
Avril, et c'est le point du jour.
Tes blondes sœurs qui te ressemblent,
En ce moment, toutes ensembles
S'avancent vers toi, cher Amour.

Tu te tiens dans un clos ombreux
De myrte et d'aubépine blanche ;
La porte s'ouvre entre les branches ;
Le chemin est mystérieux.

Elles, lentes, en longues robes,
Une à une, main dans la main,
Franchissent le seuil indistinct
Où de la nuit devient de l'aube.

Celle qui s'approche d'abord,
Regarde l'ombre, te découvre,
Crie, et la fleur de ses yeux s'ouvre
Splendide dans un rire d'or.

Et, jusqu'à la dernière sœur 
Toutes tremblent, tes lèvres touchent
Leurs lèvres, l'éclair de ta bouche
Éclate jusque dans leur cœur.

Confirmed with van Lerberghe, Charles, Entrevisions, suivi de Poèmes posthumes, Paris, G. Crès, 1923, pages 13-14.


Text Authorship:

  • by Charles van Lerberghe (1861 - 1907), "La messagère", appears in Entrevisions, in 1. Jeux et songes, no. 4, Bruxelles, Éd. Lacomblez, first published 1898 [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 Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924), "La messagère", op. 106 no. 3 (1914), published 1915 [ medium voice and piano ], from Le jardin clos, no. 3, Paris, Éd. Durand & Cie. [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "La missatgera", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Pieter van der Woel) , "De boodschapper", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , "The messenger", copyright © 2000, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Vorboten", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Didier Pelat

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 110

De boodschapper
Language: Dutch (Nederlands)  after the French (Français) 
April, en het is 's morgens.
Jouw blonde zusjes die jou gelijken,
op dat moment, allemaal samen
lopen op je toe, geliefde. 

Jij houdt je op in een schaduwrijke afrastering
van mirte en witte meidoorn;
het hek opent tussen de takken;
Het pad is geheimzinnig. 

Langzaam lopen zij in lange jurken,
de één na de ander, hand in hand,
ze schrijden over de maagdelijke klei
waar de nacht de morgenraad wordt. 

Zij die je het eerst nadert,
zoekt in de schaduw, vindt je,
roept, en je ogen openen zich als bloemen
glanzend in een gouden lach. 

En, tot aan de laatste zuster
allen beven ze, je lippen raken
hun lippen, de glinstering van jouw mond
spat uiteen in hun hart.  

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to Dutch (Nederlands) copyright © 2009 by Pieter van der Woel, (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: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

  • a text in French (Français) by Charles van Lerberghe (1861 - 1907), "La messagère", appears in Entrevisions, in 1. Jeux et songes, no. 4, Bruxelles, Éd. Lacomblez, first published 1898
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2009-07-12
Line count: 20
Word count: 120

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–Emily Ezust, Founder

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