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
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.
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.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Victor Marie 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 , "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 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 Frank Van Nimwegen (b. 1961), "Nuits de juin", 1995 [ SATB chorus ], from Six images intemporelles, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Mario Van Overeem , "Nuit de juin" [ voice and piano ], from Mélodies : pour chant et piano, no. 3, Bruxelles : Cranz [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Nikolay Aleksandrovich Sokolov.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
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.
Contact:
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Victor Marie 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