Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
[En rêve, dans un rêve étrange]1, au temps des rêves, J’ai vogué sur les flots d’un océan sans grèves. Les vents étaient sans haine et l’hiver sans frimas : J’ai rencontré, vers l’aube, un grand vaisseau sans mâts. Énorme et bas, fleuri de fleurs d’or et de palmes, Il croisait lentement au milieu des mers calmes. Sous l’ennui bleu du ciel, au hasard des destins, Il cinglait vers des buts lointains, jamais atteints. Filant, puis revenant sur son propre sillage, Il refaisait sans fin son tranquille voyage. Le grand vaisseau sans mâts n’allait vers aucun port, [Et nul être vivant ne chantait à son bord]2. Il avait oublié les labeurs, les orgies, L’espoir, la guerre, et la douleur des nostalgies. Pilote, passagers, mousses et matelots, Tous dormaient, confiants dans la douceur des flots. Et la mer les berçait, berçait sur sa clémence, J’ai souhaité dormir dans cette paix immense. Et j’ai voulu monter [sur]3 le vaisseau perdu ; Et j’ai crié vers lui, mais rien n’a répondu. J’ai vu six lettres d’or sur sa plaque d’ivoire, Puis il s’en est allé… « Croire ! » Il s’appelait Croire.
Confirmed with Edmond Haraucourt, L’Âme nue, Paris, G. Charpentier et Cie, éditeurs, 1885, page 224-225.
1 Koechlin: "En un rêve, en un rêve étrange"2 omitted by Koechlin
3 Koechlin: "vers"
Authorship:
- by Edmond Haraucourt (1856 - 1941), "Le Vaisseau", appears in L'Âme nue, in 2. La Vie intérieure, in 3. Le Soir, no. 4 [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 Charles Koechlin (1867 - 1950), "Le Vaisseau", op. 28 (Quatre mélodies) no. 4 (1905-1907), published 1918? [ medium voice and piano ], Éd. L. Philippo [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , "The Vessel", copyright © 2001, (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: 22
Word count: 188
In a strange dream, in the dream time, I sailed over a shoreless ocean. The winds knew no hatred and the winter no cold. Near dawn, I met a large vessel with no masts. Huge and low, it was covered with golden flowers and palms. It cruised slowly on calm seas, under the white boredom of the sky, steered by chance. It aimed for distant goals, never reaching them. Off it sped, then followed its own wake back, endlessly repeating its tranquil voyage. The large vessel with no masts was not headed toward any port: [...] it had forgotten labour, orgies, hope, war and the pain of remembrance. Pilots, passengers, cabin boys and seamen all slept trustingly on the sweet waves, and the sea rocked them in its kindness. I wanted to sleep in that immense peace and I wanted to climb aboard the lost ship. I cried out to it, but there was no answer. I saw seven golden letters on its ivory plaque, and then it was gone... "Believe!" Its name was "Believe!"
Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2001 by Faith J. Cormier, (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 Edmond Haraucourt (1856 - 1941), "Le Vaisseau", appears in L'Âme nue, in 2. La Vie intérieure, in 3. Le Soir, no. 4
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 22
Word count: 175