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by Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885)

L'enfant chantait; la mère au lit,...
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG
L'enfant chantait; la mère au lit, exténuée,
Agonisait, beau front dans l'ombre se penchant ;
La mort au-dessus d'elle errait dans la nuée ;
Et j'écoutais ce râle, et j'entendais ce chant.

L'enfant avait cinq ans, et près de la fenêtre
Ses rires et ses jeux faisaient un charmant bruit ;
Et la mère, à côté de ce pauvre doux être
Qui chantait tout le jour, toussait toute la nuit.

La mère alla dormir sous les dalles du cloître ;
Et le petit enfant se remit à chanter... 
La douleur est un fruit ; Dieu ne le fait pas croître
Sur la branche trop faible encor pour le porter.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885), "L'Enfance", written 1835, appears in Les Contemplations, in 1. Livre premier -- Aurore, no. 23 [author's text not yet checked 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 (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "L'Enfance", 1928, published 1982 [ voice and piano ], from Quatre chansons françaises, no. 3, London, Faber music [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Benjamin Louis Paul Godard (1849 - 1895), "L'Enfance", op. 97 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887 - 1959), "Les mères", op. 45 (1914), published 1987, first performed 1917 [ voice and piano ], Rio de Janeiro: Arthur Napoleão [sung text not yet checked]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (David K. Smythe) , "Childhood", 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: 12
Word count: 104

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