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L'été, lorsque le jour a fui, de fleurs couverte La plaine verse au loin un parfum enivrant ; Les yeux fermés, l'oreille aux rumeurs entr'ouverte, On ne dort qu'à demi d'un sommeil transparent. Les astres sont plus purs, l'ombre paraît meilleure ; Un vague demi-jour teint le dôme éternel ; Et l'aube, douce et pâle, en attendant son heure, Semble toute la nuit errer au bas du ciel.
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Authorship:
- by Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885), "Nuits de juin", appears in Les Rayons et les Ombres, no. 43, first published 1840 [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 Georges Alary (1850 - 1928), "Nuit de juin", op. 37 no. 1, published 1899 [ chorus a cappella ], from Chœurs sans accompagnement, no. 1, Paris, Durdilly [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Nuits de juin", 1928, published 1982 [ voice and piano ], from Quatre chansons françaises, no. 1, London, Faber music [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Charlotte Devéria, née Thomas (1856 - 1885), "Nuits de juin", <<1877 [ medium voice and piano ], from 16 Mélodies pour chant avec accompagnement de piano, no. 15 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Georges Flé , "Nuits de juin", published 1898 [ medium voice and piano ], from Poésies mises en musique, no. 3, Édition du Mercure de France [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis (Trouillon) Lacombe (1818 - 1884), "Nuits de juin" [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Klaus Miehling (b. 1963), "Nuits de juin", op. 312 no. 3 (2020) [ voice and piano ], from Sechs Lieder nach Victor Hugo, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean Neymarck (1889 - 1913), "Nuits de juin", published 1912 [ medium voice and piano ], from Trois mélodies, poésies de Victor Hugo, no. 1, Paris, Éd. L. Grus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mario van Overeem (1872 - 1946), "Nuit de juin" [ voice and piano ], from Mélodies : pour chant et piano, no. 3, Bruxelles : Cranz [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gabriel Rodriguez (1829 - 1901), "Nuit de juin", 1851 [ medium voice and piano ], from Coleccion de Melodias, no. 6, Barcelona, Édition Juan Batista Pujol [sung text not yet checked]
- by Violet Mary Tidy (1886 - c1971), "Nuits de juin", <<1912 [ high voice and piano ], from Deux Mélodies, no. 2, Éd. Pfister Frères [sung text not yet checked]
- by Frank Van Nimwegen (b. 1961), "Nuits de juin", 1995 [ SATB chorus ], from Six images intemporelles, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Nikolay Aleksandrovich Sokolov.
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (David K. Smythe) , "June nights", 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: 8
Word count: 68
In summer, when day is done, from the flower-covered meadow in the distance pours an intoxicating scent. With eyes shut, ears half-open to murmurs, One could sleep only in a limpid slumber. The stars are pure, the darkness appears better; some sort of half-light tinges the eternal dome; And the dawn, gentle and pale, biding its time, Seems to wander all night at the foot of the heavens.
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), "Nuits de juin", appears in Les Rayons et les Ombres, no. 43, first published 1840
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 69