The wounded gazelle weeps when she is about to die

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by Franz Toussaint (1879 - 1955)

Translation © by Grant Hicks

La gazelle blessée pleure lorsqu'elle va...

Language: French (Français) after the Arabic (العربية)

Our translations: ENG

La gazelle blessée pleure lorsqu'elle va mourir.
Lorsqu'une torche va s'éteindre, sa flamme devient paisible. 
Et toi, à quel moment as-tu conscience de ton destin ? 

Est-ce quand tu pleures, est-ce quand tu souris ?

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Franz Toussaint, Le jardin des caresses, Paris: H. Piazza, 1919, p.33.

Text Authorship:

by Franz Toussaint (1879 - 1955), "Sur la mort", appears in Le jardin des caresses, no. 32, Paris, Éd. Piazza [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

a text in Arabic (العربية) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [text unavailable]
- Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Denise Aignerelle-Féru (b. 1933), "La gazelle blessée" [ voice and piano ], from Le jardin des caresses, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
by Jacqueline Despas (1893 - 1968), "Sur la mort", published 1923 [ medium voice and piano ], from Poèmes Arabes, no. 6, Paris, Éd. Jobert [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Grant Hicks [Guest Editor] , Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2024-11-09
Line count: 4
Word count: 33

The wounded gazelle weeps when she is...

Language: English after the French (Français)

The wounded gazelle weeps when she is about to die.
When a torch is about to go out, its flame becomes calm.
And you, when do you become aware of your destiny?

Is it when you weep, is it when you smile?

About the headline (FAQ)

Translations of titles:
"La gazelle blessée" = "The Wounded Gazelle"
"Sur la mort" = "On Death"

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2026 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:

a text in French (Français) by Franz Toussaint (1879 - 1955), "Sur la mort", appears in Le jardin des caresses, no. 32, Paris, Éd. Piazza
- Go to the text page.

Based on:

a text in Arabic (العربية) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [text unavailable]
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-02-25
Line count: 4
Word count: 42