by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872)
Au firmament sans étoile
Language: French (Français)
Our translations: ENG
Kadidja:
Au firmament sans étoile,
La lune éteint ses rayons ;
La nuit nous prête son voile.
Fuyons ! fuyons !
Ahmed:
Ne crains-tu pas la colère
De tes frères insolents,
Le désespoir de ton père,
De ton père aux sourcils blancs ?
Kadidja:
Que m'importent mépris, blâme,
Dangers, malédictions !
C'est dans toi que vit mon âme.
Fuyons ! fuyons !
Ahmed:
Le cœur me manque ; je tremble,
Et, dans mon sein traversé,
De leur kandjar il me semble
Sentir le contact glacé !
Kadidja:
Née au désert, ma cavale
Sur les blés, dans les sillons,
Volerait, des vents rivale.
Fuyons ! fuyons !
Ahmed:
Au désert infranchissable,
Sans parasol pour jeter
Un peu d'ombre sur le sable,
Sans tente pour m'abriter...
Kadidja:
Mes cils te feront de l'ombre ;
Et, la nuit, nous dormirons
Sous mes cheveux, tente sombre.
Fuyons ! fuyons !
Ahmed:
Si le mirage illusoire
Nous cachait le vrai chemin,
Sans vivres, sans eau pour boire,
Tous deux nous mourrions demain.
Kadidja:
Sous le bonheur mon cœur ploie ;
Si l'eau manque aux stations,
Bois les larmes de ma joie.
Fuyons ! fuyons !
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872), "La fuite", written 1845, 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), "La fuite", published 1849, Paris, Richault [sung text not yet checked]
- by Georges Bizet (1838 - 1875), "La fuite", 1872, published 1872 [ vocal duet for soprano and tenor with piano ], Paris, Choudens [sung text not yet checked]
- by Martial Caillebotte (1853 - 1910), "La fuite", published 1884 [ vocal duet for soprano and tenor with piano ], from Scènes et Mélodies, no. 7, Paris, G. Hartmann [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul-Charles-Marie Curet (1848 - 1917), as Paul Puget, "La fuite", 1870-79?, published 1881 [ vocal duet for soprano and tenor with piano ], from Vingt mélodies, Vol. 1, no. 9, Paris, Girod [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henri Duparc (1848 - 1933), "La Fuite", 1871, published c1900, first performed 1873 [ vocal duet for soprano and tenor with piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Alphonse Duvernoy (1842 - 1907), "La fuite", op. 7 no. 6 (1871), published 1872 [ vocal duet for soprano and baritone with piano ], from Six mélodies, no. 6, Paris, G. Hartmann [sung text not yet checked]
- by Felipe Pedrell (1841 - 1922), "La fuite", published 1877 [ high voice and piano ], from Consolations - 12 Mélodies sur des poésies de Théophile Gautier, no. 6, Milan: Francesco Lucca [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jules Philipot (1824 - 1897), "La fuite - épisode dramatique", op. 124, published 1874 [ voice and piano (or vocal duet with piano) ], from Poèmes et Chants, Poésies de Théophile Gautier, no. 5, Paris, L. Grus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Edmond Viault (1834 - 1876), "La fuite", op. 9 no. 1, published 1862-6 [ tenor or soprano and piano ], from 22 Scènes, mélodies et couplets, no. 1, Paris, Richault [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Vrchlický) , "Útěk"
- ENG English (Victoria de Menil) , "Flight", copyright ©, (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: 45
Word count: 165