Gedämpften Tons | Lass uns still im Dämmerlicht

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by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896)

Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

Calmes dans le demi‑jour

Language: French (Français)

Available translation(s): CAT CAT ENG ENG GER GER GRE SPA SPA

Calmes dans le demi-jour
Que les branches hautes font,
Pénétrons bien notre amour
De ce silence profond.

[Fondons]¹ nos âmes, nos cœurs
Et nos sens extasiés,
Parmi les vagues langueurs
Des pins et des arbousiers.

Ferme tes yeux à demi,
Croise tes bras sur ton sein,
Et de ton cœur endormi
Chasse à jamais tout dessein.

Laissons-nous persuader
Au souffle berceur et doux,
Qui vient à tes pieds rider
Les ondes des gazons roux.

Et quand, solennel, le soir
Des chênes noirs tombera,
Voix de notre désespoir,
Le rossignol chantera.

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Paul Verlaine, Fêtes galantes, Paris: Alphonse Lemerre, 1869, pages 49-50.

Note: The ampersands (&) as appear in the first publication are changed to "et".

¹ Fauré: "Mêlons"

Authorship:

by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "En sourdine", appears in Fêtes galantes, no. 21, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1869 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Marie Bellenger (1860 - 1908), "En sourdine", 1892 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Paul Bonneau (1918 - 1995), "En sourdine", published 1955 [ voice and piano ], from Six poésies de Paul Verlaine, no. 3, Paris, S. E. M. I. [sung text not yet checked]
by Bertha Busine , "En sourdine", [1910] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Joseph Canteloube de Malaret (1879 - 1957), "En sourdine", op. 6 (1903) [ voice and piano ], Paris, Hamelle [sung text not yet checked]
by John Alden Carpenter (1876 - 1951), "En sourdine", published 1912 [ voice and piano ], Boston, Ditson, also set in English [sung text checked 1 time]
by René Chansarel (1864 - 1945), "En sourdine", published 1902 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Hachette [sung text not yet checked]
by Félipe Comas , "En sourdine", published 1900 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Hachette [sung text not yet checked]
by Gérard Condé (b. 1947), "En sourdine", 1973, published 2001 [ reciter and piano ], from Fêtes galantes, récitation accompagnée au piano, no. 7, Éd. Henry Lemoine [sung text not yet checked]
by Suzanne Coquelin , "En sourdine", 1910, published 1911 [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. Édouard Jouve [sung text not yet checked]
by Claude Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918), "En sourdine", L. 86/(80) no. 1 (1891) [ voice and piano ], from Fêtes Galantes I, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Claude Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918), "En sourdine", alternate title: "Calme dans le demi-jour", L. 42/(28) (1888), published 1944 [ voice and piano ], the first of two settings [sung text checked 1 time]
by Auguste Descarries (1896 - 1958), "En sourdine", 1948, published 2015 [ voice, piano ], Les Éditions Outremontaises - 2015 [sung text not yet checked]
by Fidès Devriès (1852 - 1941?), "En sourdine", published 1907 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Choudens [sung text not yet checked]
by Alphons Diepenbrock (1862 - 1921), "En sourdine", 1909, published 1934 [ voice and piano ], Amsterdam, Alsbach & Co [sung text checked 1 time]
by André Dulaurens (1873 - 1932), "En sourdine" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Frédéric d'Erlanger, Baron, dit Regnal (1868 - 1943), "En sourdine", published 1922 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Rouart Lerolle [sung text not yet checked]
by Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924), "En sourdine", op. 58 no. 2 (1891), published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from Cinq mélodies "de Venise", no. 2, Paris, Hamelle [sung text checked 1 time]
by Félix-Alfred Fourdrain (1880 - 1923), "Recueillement", 1902 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Philippe Gaubert (1879 - 1941), "En sourdine", 1920, published 1920 [ medium voice and piano ], from Six mélodies, no. 4, Paris, Durand [sung text not yet checked]
by Hercule Gilles de Fontenailles (1858 - 1922), "En sourdine", published 1913 [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. Rouart, Lerolle (Salabert) [sung text not yet checked]
by Reynaldo Hahn (1874 - 1947), "En sourdine", 1893, published 1893 [ voice and piano ], from Chansons grises, no. 4, Paris, Heugel [sung text checked 1 time]
by Robert Herberigs (1886 - 1974), "En sourdine", published 1906-10 [ voice and piano ], from Quatre mélodies, no. 1, Gant, Oscar Berte [sung text not yet checked]
by Hugo Herrmann (1896 - 1967), "En sourdine", 1950 [ voice and piano ], from Sérénata, no. 1, also set in German [sung text not yet checked]
by Clayton Johns (1857 - 1932), "En sourdine", published c1895 [ voice and piano ], Boston, Boston Music Co., also set in English [sung text not yet checked]
by C. F. Karthaus , "En sourdine" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Lou Koster (1889 - 1973), "En sourdine", 1935, published [1955] [ high voice and piano ], from 5 Mélodies [later 6 mélodies], no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Eugène-Émile Lacroix , "En sourdine", published 1898 [ voice and piano ], from Mélodies de Paul Verlaine, no. 3, Demets [sung text not yet checked]
by Raoul Laparra (1876 - 1943), "En sourdine", published 1927 [ voice and piano ], from Pastels, suite de mélodies sur des Fétes galantes , no. 2, Paris, Gallet [sung text not yet checked]
by Sylvio Lazzari, né Josef Fortunat Silvester Lazzari (1857 - 1944), "En sourdine", 1892, published 1892 [ voice and piano ], from À l'Absente, no. 2, Paris, Hamelle [sung text not yet checked]
by Xavier Henri Napoleon Leroux (1863 - 1919), "Recueillement", published 1892 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
by Michel Maurice Lévy, dit Betove (1883 - 1965), "En sourdine", [1906] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Guy de Rougelot de Lioncourt (1885 - 1961), "Calmes dans le demi-jour", published 1911 [ high voice and piano ], from Six mélodies, no. 4, Paris, Éd. Mutuelle [sung text not yet checked]
by Charles Martin Tornov Loeffler (1861 - 1935), "Rêverie en sourdine" [ viola, piano, and voice ] [sung text checked 1 time]
by Gaston Marchet , "En sourdine", published [1920] [ voice, piano, and violin or viola d'amore ], from Deux mélodies, no. 1, Paris, Édition Maurice Sénart [sung text not yet checked]
by Philippe Mazé (b. 1954), "En sourdine", 2004, published 2005 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], from Cinq Mélodies sur des textes de Paul Verlaine for Soprano or Tenor and piano, no. 2, United Music Publishers Ltd [sung text not yet checked]
by Paul Michoudet , "En sourdine", published 1923 [ voice and piano ], Paris, P. Michoudet [sung text not yet checked]
by Hyppolyte Mirande (b. 1862), "En sourdine", published 1901 [ voice and piano ], from Quinze poèmes mis en musique, no. 6, Lyon [sung text not yet checked]
by Georges (Jerzy) Nawrocki , "En sourdine", 1971/1972 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Marcel Noël (1857 - 1935), "En sourdine", published 1905 [ voice and piano ], from Dix mélodies, no. 9, Paris, Hamelle [sung text not yet checked]
by Reine Colaço Osorio-Swaab (1881 - 1971), "Fêtes galantes", subtitle: "En Sourdine", 1932, published 1950 [ voice and piano ], Amsterdam, Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
by Héctor (or Ettore) Panizza (1875 - 1967), "En sourdine", op. 24 no. 4 (1899) [ voice and piano ], from Neuf poésies de Paul Verlaine, no. 4, Milan, Ricordi [sung text not yet checked]
by Riccardo Pick-Mangiagalli (1882 - 1949), "En sourdine", published 1912 [ voice and piano ], from Fêtes galantes, no. 3, Milan, Ricordi [sung text not yet checked]
by Irena Regina Poldowski, née Wieniawski (1880 - 1932), "En sourdine", published 1911 [ high voice and piano ], from Trois mélodies sur des poésies de Paul Verlaine, no. 3, Paris, Durand [sung text not yet checked]
by Léo Sachs (1856 - 1930), "En sourdine", published 1902 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Durand [sung text not yet checked]
by Gabriel de Saint-Quentin (1846 - 1926), "En sourdine", published 1899 [ voice and piano ], from Vingt mélodies, no. 17, from Dix mélodies célèbres, no. 8, Paris, Énoch (Vingt mélodies, 1899) ; Éd Fromont (Dix mélodies) [sung text not yet checked]
by Pierre Salet , "En sourdine", published 1902 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Prioré [sung text not yet checked]
by Lazare Saminsky (1882 - 1959), "En sourdine", op. 5 no. 4 (1914) [ voice and piano ], from Cycle Verlaine, no. 4, Moscow, 1914 ; Paris, Sénart, 1927 ; also set in Russian and German [sung text not yet checked]
by Gaston Saux , "En sourdine", [1914] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Ph. Souhart , "En sourdine", published [1912] [ voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. L. Grus [sung text not yet checked]
by Marcel Stern , "En sourdine", 1938 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Jean.-P. Strauwen , "En sourdine", published 1910 [ voice and piano ], Bruxelles, G. Œrtel [sung text not yet checked]
by Jósef-Zygmunt Szulc (1875 - 1956), "En sourdine", op. 83 (Dix mélodies sur des poésies de Verlaine) no. 9, published 1907 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Rouart Lerolle [sung text not yet checked]
by Marc Vaubourgouin (1907 - 1983), "En sourdine", published [1949] [ voice and piano ], S^té Édifrance [sung text not yet checked]
by Bernard Wagenaar (1894 - 1971), "Calmes dans le demi-jour", published 1926 [ voice and piano ], from Three songs, no. 1, New York, Schirmer, also set in English [sung text not yet checked]
by Marguerite Wagnière (1875 - 1959), "En sourdine", [1944] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in English, a translation by John Alden Carpenter (1876 - 1951) , "When the misty shadows glide" ; composed by John Alden Carpenter.
Also set in English, a translation by Robert A. Simon ; composed by Bernard Wagenaar.
Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Clayton Johns.
Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by C. F. Karthaus, F. E. Simon.
Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Franz Evers (1871 - 1947) , "In stiller Dämmerung" ; composed by Richard Trunk.

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

Research team for this text: Didier Pelat , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 90

Gedämpften Tons

Language: German (Deutsch) after the French (Français)

Lass uns still im Dämmerlicht
unter hoher Bäume Zweigen
in des Schweigens Angesicht
unsre Liebe wohl erzeigen.

Mög' uns Herz und Seel' zergehn
und verzückter Sinne Träume
bei dem sehnsuchtsvollen Wehn
der Pinien und Erdbeerbäume.

Schließe halb die Augen  zu,
leg die Hände in den Schoß,
sage in des Herzens Ruh
dich von allem Wollen  los.

Wiegen möge uns der Wind,
der sich sanft und schmeichelnd regt
und  zu deinen Füßen lind
kräuselnd mattes Gras bewegt.

Wenn von schwarzer Eichen Rund
ernst der Abend sinkt hernieder,
wird unsre Verzweiflung kund
in der Nachtigallen Lieder.

Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2011 by Bertram Kottmann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Bertram Kottmann. Contact: BKottmann (AT) t-online.de
If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact:

Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "En sourdine", appears in Fêtes galantes, no. 21, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1869

This text was added to the website: 2011-03-15
Line count: 20
Word count: 94