by
Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885)
Elle était déchaussée, elle était...
Language: French (Français)
Elle était déchaussée, elle était décoiffée,
Assise, les pieds nus, parmi les joncs penchants ;
Moi qui passais par là, je crus voir une fée,
Et je lui dis : Veux-tu t'en venir dans les champs ?
Elle me regarda de ce regard suprême
Qui reste à la beauté quand nous en triomphons,
Et je lui dis : Veux-tu, c'est le mois où l'on aime,
Veux-tu nous en aller sous les arbres profonds ?
Elle essuya ses pieds à l'herbe de la rive ;
Elle me regarda pour la seconde fois,
Et la belle folâtre alors devint pensive.
Oh ! comme les oiseaux chantaient au fond des bois !
Comme l'eau caressait doucement le rivage !
Je vis venir à moi, dans les grands roseaux verts,
La belle fille heureuse, effarée et sauvage,
Ses cheveux dans ses yeux, et riant au travers.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Max Arham (flourished 1911-1917), "Ariette", subtitle: "Extrait des contemplations", <<1912 [ voice and piano ], from Seize mélodies, no. 35, Paris, Maurice Sénart, B. Roudanez et Cie. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alphonse David Duvivier (1827 - 1907), "Le mois où l'on aime", <<1868 [ high voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. G. Hartmann [sung text not yet checked]
- by Benjamin Louis Paul Godard (1849 - 1895), "Veux-tu", op. 8 no. 7, published 1868 [ voice and piano ], from Douze morceaux pour chant et piano, 2me série, no. 7, Paris : G. Flaxland [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2018-09-09
Line count: 16
Word count: 133
She was unshod, she was uncombed
Language: English after the French (Français)
She was unshod, she was uncombed,
Sitting barefoot among the bending rushes;
Passing by, I thought it was a fairy I saw,
And I said to her, "Would you like to come into the fields?"
She gazed at me with that supreme gaze
That remains to beauty when we vanquish it,
And I said to her: "Would you like, it's the month for loving,
Would you like us to go under the deep trees?"
She wiped her feet on the grassy bank;
She looked at me a second time,
And then the playful beauty became thoughtful.
Oh! how the birds sang in the deep woods!
How the water softly caressed the shore!
I saw her come to me, through the tall green reeds,
That lovely, joyful girl, fearful and wild,
Her hair in her eyes, and laughing on her way.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"Ariette" = "Arietta"
"Le mois où l'on aime" = "The month for loving"
"Veux-tu" = "Would you like"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2025 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2025-08-20
Line count: 16
Word count: 140
