by Antoine Houdar de La Motte (1672 - 1731)
Translation © by Emily Ezust

Dans un bois solitaire et sombre
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  CHI DUT ENG GER GRE ITA SPA SPA
Dans un [bois]1 solitaire et sombre
Je me promenais l'autr' jour,
Un enfant y dormait à l'ombre,
C'était le redoutable Amour.

J'approche, sa beauté me flatte,
Mais je devais m'en défier ;
Il avait les traits d'une ingrate,
Que j'avais juré d'oublier.

Il avait la bouche vermeille,
Le teint aussi frais que le sien,
Un soupir m'échappe, il s'éveille ;
L'Amour se réveille de rien.

Aussitôt déployant ses aîles 
Et saisissant son arc vengeur,
L'une de ses flêches, cruelles 
En partant, il me blesse au cœur.

Va ! va, dit-il, aux pieds de Sylvie,
De nouveau languir et brûler !
Tu l'aimeras toute la vie,
Pour avoir osé m'éveiller.

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Weckerlin: "lieu"; further changes may exist not shown above.

Text Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

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

  • CHI Chinese (中文) (Dan Shen) , "在树林里", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "In een bos", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "In a forest", copyright ©
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Walter Riemer) , "In einen einsamen, düsteren Wald", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Daniel Jäger) , "Einsam ging ich jüngst im Haine"
  • GRE Greek (Ελληνικά) [singable] (Christakis Poumbouris) , "Σε δάσος μοναχικό και σκοτεινό", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "In un bosco", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Pilar Lirio) , "En un bosque", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , "En un bosque solitario", copyright © 2007, (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: 20
Word count: 106

In a forest
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
In a lonely and sombre forest
I walked the other day;
A child slept in the shade,
It was a veritable Cupid.

I approach; his beauty fascinates me.
But I must be careful:
He has the traits of the faithless maiden
Whom I had sworn to forget.

He had lips of ruby,
His complexion was also fresh like hers.
A sigh escapes me and he awakes;
Cupid wakes at nothing.

Immediately opening his wings and seizing
His vengeful bow
And one of his cruel arrows as he parts,
He wounds me to the heart.

"Go!" he says, "Go! At Sylvie's feet
Will you languish anew!
You shall love her all your life,
For having dared awaken me."

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust

    Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:

    Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
    from the LiederNet Archive

    For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.


Based on:

 

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 117