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Quels sont ces bruits sourds ? Écoutez vers l'onde Cette voix profonde Qui pleure [toujours]1 [Et qui toujours gronde, Quoiqu'un son plus clair Parfois l'interrompe... —]2 Le vent de la mer Souffle dans sa trompe ! Comme il pleut ce soir ! N'est-ce pas, mon hôte ? Là-bas, à la côte, Le ciel est bien noir, La mer est bien haute ! [On dirait l'hiver ; Parfois on s'y trompe... —]2 Le vent de la mer Souffle dans sa trompe. Oh ! marins perdus ! Au loin, dans cette ombre, Sur la nef qui sombre, Que de bras tendus Vers la terre sombre ! Pas d'ancre de fer Que le flot ne rompe... — Le vent de la mer Souffle dans sa trompe. Nochers imprudents ! Le vent dans la voile Déchire la toile Comme avec les dents ! Là-haut pas d'étoile ! L'un lutte avec l'air, L'autre est à la pompe... — Le vent de la mer Souffle dans sa trompe. C'est toi, c'est ton feu Que le nocher rêve, Quand le flot s'élève, Chandelier que Dieu Pose sur la grève, Phare au rouge éclair Que la brume estompe... — Le vent de la mer Souffle dans sa trompe.
L. Niedermeyer sets stanzas 1-3, 5
A. Dufresne sets stanzas 1-3
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Œuvres de Victor Hugo: Les voix intérieures, Les rayons et les ombres, Paris: Alphonse Lemerre, 1875, Pages 117-118.
1 Dufresne: "toujours."2 Dufresne: "Pas d'ancre de fer/ Que le flot ne rompe. --"
Text Authorship:
- by Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885), "Une nuit qu'on entendait la mer sans la voir", written 1836, appears in Les voix intérieures, no. 24, first published 1837 [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 Louis-Toussaint Cellot (1827 - 1879), as Henri Cellot, "Un Soir qu'on entendait la mer", subtitle: "Une nuit qu'on entendait la mer", published [1878] [ voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. 'Au Ménestrel' Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alfred Dufresne (1822 - 1863), "La mer", stanzas 1-3 [ medium voice and piano ], from Les soirées d'automne, douze mélodies, no. 4, Paris, Éditions E. Heu [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Graciane Finzi (b. 1945), "Une nuit qu'on entendait la mer sans la voir", 2022 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Léon Charles François Kreutzer (1817 - 1868), "La Mer" [ high voice and piano ], from 26 mélodies pour chant et piano, no. 9, Éd. Richault [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis Niedermeyer (1802 - 1861), "La mer", stanzas 1-3,5 [sung text checked 1 time]
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Grant Hicks [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 45
Word count: 191
What are these dull sounds? Listen, from the waves There comes a deep voice That forever [weeps,]1 [And forever groans, Though a clearer sound At times interrupts... —]2 The wind from the sea Blows on its trumpet! Such a rain tonight! Is it not, my guest? Far off, on the coast, How black the sky is, And how high the sea! [You might say Winter; But be mistaken... —]2 The wind from the sea Blows on its trumpet. Oh! lost seafarers! Far off, in shadow, On the sinking ship, How many arms stretched Towards the dark land! No iron anchor Left whole by the flood... — The wind from the sea Blows on its trumpet. Foolhardy boatmen! The wind in the sail Tatters the canvas As if with sharp teeth! No star up above! One battles the wind, One toils at the pump... — The wind from the sea Blows on its trumpet. Of you, of your fire Is the boatman's dream, When the flood rises, Candlestick that God Has placed on the shore, Beacon of red light Obscured by the mist... — The wind from the sea Blows on its trumpet.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Translations of titles:
"La Mer" = "The Sea"
"Une nuit qu'on entendait la mer sans la voir" = "A Night When the Sea Was Heard but Not Seen"
"Un Soir qu'on entendait la mer" = "An Evening When the Sea Was Heard but Not Seen"
2 Dufresne: "No iron anchor/ Left whole by the flood... —"
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.
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Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885), "Une nuit qu'on entendait la mer sans la voir", written 1836, appears in Les voix intérieures, no. 24, first published 1837
This text was added to the website: 2025-11-18
Line count: 45
Word count: 195