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by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872)
Translation © by Shawn Thuris
Sur l'eau bleue et profonde
Language: French (Français)
Sur l'eau [bleue]1 et profonde Nous allons voyageant, Environnant le monde D'un sillage d'argent, Des îles de la Sonde, De l'Inde au ciel brûlé, Jusqu'au pôle gelé... Les petites étoiles Montrent de leur doigt d'or De quel côté les voiles Doivent prendre l'essor ; Sur nos ailes de toiles, Comme de blancs oiseaux, Nous effleurons les eaux. Nous pensons à la terre Que nous fuyons toujours, À notre vieille mère, À nos jeunes amours ; Mais la vague légère Avec son doux refrain Endort notre chagrin. Le laboureur déchire Un sol avare et dur ; L'éperon du navire Ouvre nos champs d'azur, Et la mer sait produire, Sans peine ni travail, La perle et le corail. Existence sublime ! Bercés par notre nid, Nous vivons sur l'abîme Au sein de l'infini ; Des flots rasant la cime, Dans le grand désert bleu Nous marchons avec Dieu !
G. Fauré sets stanzas 1, 3, 5
F. Bazin sets stanzas 1-3, 5
H. Chrétien sets stanzas 1, 3, 5
L. Bruneau sets stanzas 1-3, 5
B. Reichel sets stanzas 1-2 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Bazin: "vaste"; further changes may exist not shown above.
Text Authorship:
- by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872), "Les matelots", written 1841, appears in Poésies diverses, poésies nouvelles et inédites, poésies posthumes, in Poésies diverses 1838-1845 [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 François Emmanuel Joseph Bazin (1816 - 1878), "Les Matelots sur la mer", 1841, stanzas 1-3,5 [ bass and piano ], Paris, Éd. Richault [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis Brisset (1872 - 1939), "Les matelots", published 1901 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis-Charles-Bonaventure-Alfred Bruneau (1857 - 1934), "Les matelots", copyright © 1933, stanzas 1-3,5 [ high voice and piano ], from Plein Air, dix poèmes [de Théophile Gautier], no. 1, Paris, Éditions "Au Ménestrel", Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hedwige Chrétien (1859 - 1944), "Les Matelots", published 1887, stanzas 1,3,5 [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, A. O'Kelly [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alphonse Duvernoy (1842 - 1907), "Les matelots", op. 7 no. 4 (1871), published 1872 [ baritone and piano ], from Six mélodies, no. 4, Paris, G. Hartmann [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924), "Les Matelots", op. 2 no. 2 (1867), published 1876, stanzas 1,3,5 [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Choudens [sung text checked 1 time]
- by L. Giunti-Bellini , "Les matelots", c1855 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean-Georges Kastner (1810 - 1867), "Les matelots", published 1854 [ vocal quartet and piano ], from Les chants de la vie, no. 15, Paris, Brandus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Léon Charles François Kreutzer (1817 - 1868), "Les matelots", published 1847 [ four-part men's chorus and piano ], from 26 mélodies pour chant et piano, no. 1, Paris, Richault [sung text not yet checked]
- by Auguste Lippmann (1809 - 1891), "Les matelots sur la mer", 1862, published 1863 [ four-part men's chorus and piano ], Paris, Richault [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles-Henri Maréchal (1842 - 1924), "Les matelots", 1870 [ four-part mixed chorus and orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Stanisław Pilínski (1839 - 1905), "Les matelots", op. 160 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bernard Reichel (1901 - 1992), "Les matelots", op. 2657 (1970), stanzas 1-2 [ voice and piano ], from Six chansons, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bernard Reichel (1901 - 1992), "Les matelots", op. 2658 [ voice, flute, oboe, string quartet ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bernard Reichel (1901 - 1992), "Les matelots", op. 2659 (1970) [ voice, 2 violins, cello, and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Yves Robert (b. 1958), "Les matelots", copyright © 1999 [ SA chorus and piano ], Lyon, A cœur joie [sung text not yet checked]
- by Théodore César Salomé (1834 - 1896), "Les matelots", published 1866, Paris, L. Escudier [sung text not yet checked]
- by Célestin Tingry (1819 - 1892), "Les matelots", published 1880 [ four-part men's chorus ], Paris, E. et A. Girod [sung text not yet checked]
- by Brian Wright , "Les matelots", published 2005 [ voice and lute ], from Mélodies pour Colette (1873-1954), no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Shawn Thuris) , "The sailors", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Nele Gramß) , "Die Matrosen", copyright © 2007, (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: 35
Word count: 142
The sailors
Language: English after the French (Français)
Upon the blue, deep water We shall travel, Encircling the world With a silver wake. From the Sunda Islands, From India of the burning sky, As far as the frozen pole! We think of the land Which we always flee, Of our aging mother, Of our young loves. But the easy wave With its sweet refrain, Lulls our grief to sleep! Sublime existence, Rocking in our nest. We live upon the abyss, On the breast of the infinite, Grazing the crests of the waves. In the great blue desert We go with God!
Note: this is a translation of Fauré's setting.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © by Shawn Thuris, (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 Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872), "Les matelots", written 1841, appears in Poésies diverses, poésies nouvelles et inédites, poésies posthumes, in Poésies diverses 1838-1845
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 21
Word count: 93