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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)
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):
- 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: 109
The child was singing, the mother, stretched out on the bed, Was dying, her beautiful forehead looking into the shadow; Above her Death roamed about in the dense cloud; And I listened to that groan, and I heard that song. The child was five years old, and near the window Her laughter and her games made an enchanting noise; And the mother, beside the sweet little being Who sang all day, coughed all night. The mother was laid to rest beneath the flagstones of the cloister; And the little child returned to singing ... Sorrow is a fruit; God does not let it grow On a branch too weak to bear it.
Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © by David K. Smythe, (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), "L'enfance", written 1835, appears in Les Contemplations, in 1. Livre premier -- Aurore, no. 23
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 113