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Oft in the stilly night,
Ere slumber's chain has bound me,
Fond Memory brings the light
Of other days around me;
The smiles, the tears,
Of boyhood's years,
The words of love then spoken;
The eyes that shone,
Now dimmed and gone,
The cheerful hearts now broken!
Thus in the stilly night,
Ere slumber's chain has bound me,
Sad Memory brings the light
Of other days around me.
When I remember all
The friends so linked together
I've seen around me fall,
Like leaves in wintry weather,
I feel like one
Who treads alone
Some banquet-hall deserted,
Whose lights are fled,
Whose garlands dead,
And all but he departed!
Thus in the stilly night,
Ere slumber's chain has bound me,
Sad Memory brings the light
Of other days around me.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with A Library of Poetry and Song: Being Choice Selections from the Best Poets. With an Introduction by William Cullen Bryant, New York, J. B. Ford and Company, 1871, page 227.
Text Authorship:
- by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), "Oft in the stilly night", appears in National Airs, first published 1818 [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 (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Oft in the stilly night" [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (1889 - 1960), "The light of other days", published 1931 [ satb chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by David Nyvall, Jr. , "Oft in the stilly night", published 1923 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, Sir (1848 - 1918), "Oft in the stilly night", 1866, first performed 1867 [ four-part chorus ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by William E. H. Potter , "Oft in the stilly night", published 1907, first performed 1867 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "Oft In The Stilly Night", op. 452 (1956) [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Andrew Stevenson (1761 - 1833), "Oft in the stilly night" [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Rudolph T. Werther (1896 - 1986), "The light of other days", 1945-70, first performed 1867 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Georg von der Vring (1889 - 1968) ; composed by Harald Genzmer.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation possibly by Niklas Müller (1809 - 1875); composed by Joseph Dessauer, Friedrich Hinrichs.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Hermann Kurz (1813 - 1873) , "Oft in der stillen Nacht", subtitle: "Schottische Melodie" ; composed by Friedrich Silcher.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Robert Grady
This text was added to the website: 2004-06-13
Line count: 28
Word count: 130
Souvent dans la nuit calme,
Avant que la chaîne du sommeil ne m'ait attaché,
Un tendre souvenir apporte la lumière
D'autres jours autour de moi ;
Les sourires, les larmes,
Des années d'enfance,
Les mots d'amour prononcés alors ;
Les yeux qui brillaient,
Maintenant ternes et disparus,
Les cœurs joyeux maintenant brisés !
Ainsi dans la nuit calme,
Avant que la chaîne du sommeil ne m'ait attaché,
Un triste souvenir apporte la lumière
D'autres jours autour de moi.
Quand je me souviens de tout
Les amis si liés ensemble
que j'ai vus autour de moi tomber,
Comme des feuilles par temps hivernal,
Je me sens comme quelqu'un
Qui arpente seul
Une salle de banquet déserte,
Dont les lumières se sont éteintes,
Dont les guirlandes sont mortes,
Et tous sauf lui sont partis !
Ainsi dans la nuit calme,
Avant que la chaîne du sommeil ne m'ait attaché,
Un triste souvenir apporte la lumière
D'autres jours autour de moi.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of title(s):
"Oft in the stilly night" = "Souvent dans la nuit calme"
"The light of other days" = "La lumière d'autres jours"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2024 by Guy Laffaille, (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 English by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), "Oft in the stilly night", appears in National Airs, first published 1818
This text was added to the website: 2024-08-20
Line count: 28
Word count: 154