by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896)
Translation by Ashmore Kyle Paterson Wingate (1881 - 1926?30)
Un grand sommeil noir
Language: French (Français)
Un grand sommeil noir Tombe sur ma vie : Dormez, tout espoir, Dormez, toute envie ! Je ne vois plus rien, Je perds la mémoire Du mal et du bien... Ô la triste histoire ! Je suis un berceau Qu'une main balance Au creux d'un caveau : Silence, silence !
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• P. Chépélov • A. Honegger • M. Ravel • I. Stravinsky • E. Varèse • L. VierneAbout the headline (FAQ)
Originally titled Berceuse (Cellulairement, no. 8).
Text Authorship:
- by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), no title, written 1873, appears in Sagesse, in Sagesse III, no. 5, first published 1880 [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 José André (1881 - 1944), "Un grand sommeil noir ", 1905, published 1928 [ voice and piano ], from Mélodies et chansons, no. 1, Paris, Sénart [sung text not yet checked]
- by Georges Antoine (1892 - 1918), "Un grand sommeil noir", 1875-77 [ medium voice and piano ], from Deux poèmes de Verlaine, no. 2, Éd. Muraille [sung text not yet checked]
- by Max Arham (flourished 1911-1917), "Un grand sommeil noir", <<1914 [ voice and piano ], from Douze mélodies, 3e série, no. 54, Paris, Sénart [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis Aubert (1877 - 1968), "Un grand sommeil noir", published 1949 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Durand [sung text not yet checked]
- by H. Baston-Couat, Madame , "Un grand sommeil noir", published 1929 [ medium voice and piano ], from Trois mélodies, no. 3, Paris, Roudanez [sung text not yet checked]
- by Armand Bernaert (1888 - 1950), "Un grand sommeil noir", [1920] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by François Berthet (1873 - 1956), "Un grand sommeil noir", op. 14 no. 6 [ medium voice and piano ], Éd. Rouart-Lerolle [sung text not yet checked]
- by Serge Bortkiewicz (1877 - 1952), "Un grand sommeil noir", op. 23 no. 3, published 1925 [ medium voice and piano ], from Sept Poésies de Paul Verlaine = Sieben Gedichte von Paul Verlaine, no. 3, Leipzig, Milan: Éd. Elite No. 205 Edition D. Rahter (4408), also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Nadia Boulanger (1887 - 1979), "Désespérance", 1902 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Nadia Boulanger (1887 - 1979), "Un grand sommeil noir", 1906 [ voice and piano ], lost (a different version from the one of 1902) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Félix Bousquet , "Un grand sommeil noir", published [1921] [ voice and piano ], Paris, Jamin [sung text not yet checked]
- by Marguerite Canal (1890 - 1978), "Un grand sommeil noir" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Joseph Canteloube de Malaret (1879 - 1957), "Un grand sommeil noir", op. 5 (1903), published 1903 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. J. Hamelle [sung text not yet checked]
- by Pierre Chépélov (b. 1979), "Un grand sommeil noir", 2005, from Zweisprachstück, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Suzanne Coquelin , "Un grand sommeil noir", 1910, published 1911 [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. Édouard Jouve [sung text not yet checked]
- by André-Marie Cuvelier , "Un grand sommeil noir" [ low voice and piano ], from Chansons pour Hélène, 4ème recueil, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Lucien Darras (b. 1922), "Un grand sommeil noir", published [1945] [ voice and piano ], Paris, J. Rousselot [sung text not yet checked]
- by Fidès Devriès (1852 - 1941?), "Tristesse", published 1907 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Choudens [sung text not yet checked]
- by Albert Doyen (1882 - 1935), "Un grand sommeil noir", published 1912 [ voice and piano ], from Sur des poèmes de Paul Verlaine, no. 2, Paris, Leduc [sung text not yet checked]
- by Blair Fairchild (1877 - 1933), "Sommeil noir", published c1908 [ voice and piano ], Firenze, Bratti, Lavilla et Cie [sung text not yet checked]
- by Georges Flé , "Un grand sommeil noir", published 1898 [ medium voice and piano ], from Poésies mises en musique, no. 11, Édition du Mercure de France [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dirk Foch (1886 - 1940), "Silence, silence", op. 13 no. 3, published 1921 [ voice and piano ], from Trois chants, no. 3, New York, Fischer [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gérard Frasca , "Un grand sommeil noir", op. 4 no. 2 (1946) [ soprano and piano ], from Deux mélodies pour soprano, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Marius-François Gaillard (1900 - 1973), "Un grand sommeil noir", published 1918 [ voice and piano ], from Six mélodies, no. 3, Paris, Costallat [sung text not yet checked]
- by Eduardo García Mansilla (1871 - 1930), "Silence, silence" [ voice and piano ], from Cinq poèmes, no. 5, Paris, Grus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gabriel Grovlez (1879 - 1944), "Un grand sommeil noir", 1909, published 1910 [ voice and piano ], from Sagesse, no. 4, Paris, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Honegger (1892 - 1955), no title, alternate title: "Un grand sommeil noir", H. 184 no. 3 (1944), published 1947 [ low voice and piano ], from Romances choisies, quatre chansons pour voix grave, no. 3, Paris, Éd. Salabert [sung text checked 1 time]
- misattributed to André Jolivet (1905 - 1974), "Un grand sommeil noir", note: this setting does not exist - Varèse's song was once erroneously included in a CD of complete Jolivet songs, so the misattribution has multiplied across the internet [sung text not yet checked]
- by Léo Kok (1893 - 1992), "Un grand sommeil noir", published 1935 [ voice and piano ], from Sept mélodies retrouvées, no. 2, éd. G.L.M. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Pavel Ivanovich Kovalev (1889 - 1951), "Un grand sommeil noir", op. 19 no. 1, published 1925 [ voice and piano ], from Six chansons sur des poésies de Paul Verlaine, no. 1, Moscow [sung text not yet checked]
- by Philippe Krawczyk , "Un grand sommeil noir", [1956] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Guillaume Landré (1905 - 1968), "Un grand sommeil noir" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Raoul Laparra (1876 - 1943), "Un grand sommeil noir", published 1909 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Hamelle [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles-Hilaire Laurent (1877 - 1941), "Un grand sommeil noir", published 1909 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Siéver [sung text not yet checked]
- by Narcisse Prosper Zacharie Lavenant (1877 - 1946), "Un grand sommeil noir", published 1908 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. E. Moullé [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Vincent Lourié (1891 - 1966), "Un grand sommeil noir", 1917 [ voice and piano ], from Verlaine, no. 3, Petrograd / Moscow, Государственное музыкальное издательство (Gosudarstvennoe muzykal’noe izdatel’stvo ) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mathilde Martinon , "Chansons tristes II", published [1929] [ medium voice and piano ], from Chansons tristes, no. 3, Éd. B. Roudanez [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alberto Mazzuoli , "Romance" [ medium voice and piano ], from Pagine d'Album, Otto Melodie per Canto e Pianoforte, no. 2, Milan, Ricordi [sung text not yet checked]
- by Frédéric Michel , "Un grand sommeil noir", published 1923 [ voice and piano ], from Dix mélodies, no. 8, Paris, Sénart [sung text not yet checked]
- by Michel-Francou , "Un grand sommeil noir" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Klaus Miehling (b. 1963), "Berceuse", op. 85 no. 1 (2001), published 2002 [ eight-part chorus (SSAATTBB chorus) ], from Sieben Chansons zu acht Stimmen nach Texten von Paul Verlaine, no. 1, Goldbach [sung text not yet checked]
- by Eugeniusz de Morawski (1876 - 1948), "Un grand sommeil noir", published 1920 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Rouart, Lerolle et Cie. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Georges (Jerzy) Nawrocki , "Un grand sommeil noir", <<1971 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carolus Dietmar Oberstadt (1871 - 1940), "Un grand sommeil noir", op. 7 no. 3, published 1916 [ voice and piano ], from Chansons âpres et douces, no. 3, Paris, Sénart [sung text not yet checked]
- by Norman Houston O'Neill (1875 - 1934), "Un grand sommeil noir", op. 26 no. 1 (1907), published 1907 [ voice and piano ], from Two French Songs, no. 1, London, Avison, also set in English [sung text not yet checked]
- by Héctor Panizza (1875 - 1967), "Sagesse, III", op. 24 no. 9, published 1899 [ voice and piano ], from Neuf poésies de Paul Verlaine, no. 9, Milan, Ricordi [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bernard Panouillot , "Un grand sommeil noir", [1952] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Antonio Parera (1890 - ?), "Un grand sommeil noir" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paule Perrin (1906 - 1959), "Un grand sommeil noir", [1959] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jeanne-Eugénie Philippon , "Un grand sommeil noir", [1927] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by André Pollonnais (d. 1932), "Un grand sommeil noir", published 1897 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Vve Richault mère [sung text not yet checked]
- by Marta Ptaszyńska (b. 1943), "Un grand sommeil noir", 1977, published 1979 [ female voice, flute and harp ], Krakow, PWM Édition ; with English text by K. Flores - text a mix of French and English [sung text not yet checked]
- by René Rabey (1878 - 1958), "Un grand sommeil noir", 1904 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937), "Un grand sommeil noir", M. 6 (1895), published 1953, Paris, Durand ; later published by Salabert, 1975 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Denise Isabelle Roger (b. 1924), "Un grand sommeil noir", 1963, copyright © 1978, first performed 1973 [ high voice and piano ], from Trois Poèmes de Paul Verlaine, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Léo Sachs (1856 - 1930), "Mélancolie", published 1902 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Hamelle [sung text not yet checked]
- by Lazare Saminsky (1882 - 1959), "Un grand sommeil noir", op. 5 no. 3, published 1914 [ voice and piano ], from Cycle Verlaine, no. 3, Moscow ; Paris, Sénart ; also in German and Russian [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gustave Sandré (1843 - 1916), "Un grand sommeil noir", op. 56 no. 2, published 1897 [ voice and piano ], from Trois mélodies sur des poésies de Verlaine, no. 2, Paris, Leduc [sung text not yet checked]
- by Sebastian Benson Schlesinger (1837 - 1917), "Un grand sommeil noir", op. 74 no. 1, published 1901 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Quinzard [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul-Louis-Camille Schlosser , "Un grand sommeil noir", [1940] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Martha Helen Schmidt (b. 1956), "Un grand sommeil noir", copyright © 2008 [ high voice and piano ], from Trois mélodies for high voice and piano, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hélène-Azuna Semama (1885 - 1939), as Hélène Servoz, "Un grand sommeil noir", [1932] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by James Martin Simon (1880 - 1944), "Un grand sommeil noir", 1935 [ voice and piano ], from Deux Mélodies de Paul Verlaine, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ludwig-Wolfgang Simoni , "Un grand sommeil noir", 1961 [ voice and piano ], from Trois poèmes tristes [sung text not yet checked]
- by Igor Stravinsky (1882 - 1971), "La bonne chanson", op. 9 no. 2 (1910), published 1911, orchestrated 1951 [ bass and orchestra ], from Dva stikhotvorenija Verlena, no. 2, Moscow, Jurgenson, also set in Russian (Русский) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jósef-Zygmunt Szulc (1875 - 1956), "Un grand sommeil noir", op. 83 (Dix mélodies sur des poésies de Verlaine) no. 3, published 1907 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Rouart Lerolle [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Tortelier (1914 - 1990), "Un grand sommeil noir", [1942] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Edgard Varèse (1883 - 1965), "Un grand sommeil noir", 1906, published 1906, Paris, Salabert (Roudanez) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Louis Vierne (1870 - 1937), "Un grand sommeil noir", op. 38 no. 2 (1916), published 1924 [ medium voice and piano or orchestra ], from Spleens et Détresses, no. 2, Paris, Salabert [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Victor Vreuls (1876 - 1944), "Un grand sommeil noir", 1902, published 1905 [ voice and orchestra or piano ], from Triptyque, no. 3, Bruxelles, Breitkopf & Härtel, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Axel Raoul Wachtmeister (1865 - 1947), "Un grand sommeil noir", published 1925 [ voice and piano ], from Trois (puis Quatre) Mélodies sur des poèmes de Paul Verlaine, no. 3, Paris, Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Pierre Zeppilli , "Un grand sommeil noir", published 1920 [ high voice and piano ], from Deux mélodies, no. 2, Paris, Éd. F.D. Marchetti [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Harry Graham ; composed by Norman Houston O'Neill.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
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- Also set in English, a translation by Ashmore Kyle Paterson Wingate (1881 - 1926?30) , appears in Poems by Verlaine, London and Newcastle, Walter Scott Publishing Company, first published 1904 ; composed by Cecil Coles.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Richard Fedor Leopold Dehmel (1863 - 1920) , "Ruhe", subtitle: "Auf die Nachricht vom Tode des Dichters", appears in Weib und Welt ; composed by Pierre Chépélov, Fritz Koegel, Rudolf Mengelberg, Josef Tal, Richard Trunk, Hermann Karl Josef Zilcher.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Michel Dimitri Calvocoressi (1877 - 1944) ; composed by Victor Vreuls.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Serge Bortkiewicz (1877 - 1952) , "Ein schwarzer düst’rer Traum" ; composed by Serge Bortkiewicz.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
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- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Cäsar (Otto Hugo) Flaischlen (1864 - 1920) , "Still!", appears in Aus den Lehr- und Wanderjahren des Lebens, in Höhen-entlang, in Übertragungen ; composed by Hans Hermann, Philippine Schick.
- Also set in Hungarian (Magyar), a translation by Lőrinc Szabó (1900 - 1957) ; composed by József Soproni.
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- Also set in Hungarian (Magyar), a translation by Mihály Babits (1883 - 1941) ; composed by József Soproni.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
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- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Stepan Nikolayevich Mitusov (1878 - 1942) ; composed by Igor Stravinsky.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Vassily Vasilyevich Nechayev.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Valentina Iosifovna Ramm (1888 - 1968) ; composed by Anatoly Nikolayevich Aleksandrov.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov (1873 - 1924) , no title, first published 1911 ; composed by Emil Cooper, Grigory Abramovich Kreyn, Aleksandr Ivanovich Yurasovsky.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Fyodor Kuzmych Teternikov (1863 - 1927) , no title, written 1897 ; composed by Aleksandr Abramovich Kreyn.
- Also set in Slovak (Slovenčina), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Vladimír Rusó.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Vrchlický) , "Píseň"
- ENG English (Corinne Orde) , copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Tamás Rédey) , "Egy álom", copyright © 2015, (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: 46
A slumber vast and black
Language: English after the French (Français)
A slumber vast and black Falls on my life. O sleep all hope; O sleep all jealous strife. O nought more can I see, All mem'ry's gone Of evil and of good O hist'ry wan! What am I but an arch A hand doth poise Above a cavern's mouth. No noise, no noise.
Text Authorship:
- by Ashmore Kyle Paterson Wingate (1881 - 1926?30), appears in Poems by Verlaine, London and Newcastle, Walter Scott Publishing Company, first published 1904 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), no title, written 1873, appears in Sagesse, in Sagesse III, no. 5, first published 1880
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Cecil Coles (1888 - 1918), "A slumber vast and black" [soprano and orchestra], from Verlaine Lieder (Four Verlaine Songs), no. 2. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2012-09-12
Line count: 12
Word count: 53