Happiness is a light thing | Happiness is a light thing

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by (Paul) Jules Barbier (1825 - 1901) and by Michel Carré (1822 - 1872)

Translation © by John Glenn Paton

Le bonheur est chose légère

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Le bonheur est chose légère,
  Passagère,
On croit l'attendre, on le poursuit,
  Il s'enfuit!
Hélas! Vous en voulez un autre
  Que le nôtre;
Il faut à vos ardents désirs
  Des plaisirs.
Dieu vous préserve des alarmes
  Et des larmes
Qui peuvent assombrir le cours
  Des beaux jours.

Si jamais votre coeur regrette
  La retraite
Qu'aujourd'hui vous abandonnez,
  Revenez!
De tous les chagrins de votr'âme,
  Je réclame
Pour notre fidèle amitié
  La moitié.

Text Authorship:

by (Paul) Jules Barbier (1825 - 1901), written 1864 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
by Michel Carré (1822 - 1872), written 1864 [author's text not yet checked 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 Charles Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921), "Le bonheur est chose légère", 1864, published 1890 [ high voice, piano, violin ad libitum ], Durand [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (John Glenn Paton) , "Happiness is a light thing", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 72

Happiness is a light thing

Language: English after the French (Français)

Happiness is a light thing,
passing;
one waits for it, pursues it,
it vanishes!
Alas, you want some other happiness
than ours;
your ardent desires require
pleasures.

May God keep you from alarms
and tears
that could darken the course
of your beautiful days.
If your heart ever misses
the safe refuge
that you are giving up today,
come back!
Whatever your soul's disappointments,
I will claim,
for the sake of our faithful friendship,
half of them.

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2009 by John Glenn Paton, (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 (Paul) Jules Barbier (1825 - 1901), written 1864 and by Michel Carré (1822 - 1872), written 1864
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2009-10-14
Line count: 20
Word count: 77