The cold and somber night | The cold and somber night

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by Joachim du Bellay (1525 - c1560)

Translation © by David Jonathan Justman

La nuit froide et sombre

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG ENG

La nuict froide & sombre
Couvrant d'obscure ombre
La terre & les cieux,
Aussi doux que miel,
Fait couler du ciel
Le sommeil aux yeux.

Puis le jour luisant
Au labeur duisant,
Sa lueur expose,
Et d'un tein divers,
Ce grand univers
Tapisse & compose.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• R. de Lassus

Text as set by Lassus:

La nuit froide et sombre
couvrant d'obscure ombre
la terre et les cieux,
Aussi doux que miel
fait couler du ciel
le sommeil aux yeux.

Puis le jour suivant
au labeur duisant
sa lueur expose,
Et d'un tein divers
ce grand univers
tapisse et compose.

Text Authorship:

by Joachim du Bellay (1525 - c1560) [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 Roland de Lassus (1532 - 1594), "La nuit froide et sombre", 1576 [ 4v, a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (David Jonathan Justman) , "The cold and somber night", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (David Wyatt) , "Cold, dark night", copyright © 2013, (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: 45

The cold and somber night

Language: English after the French (Français)

The cold and somber night,
As sweet as honey,
Which covers with a dark shadow
The Earth and the skies,
Makes sleep roll down from the sky
Into people's eyes.

Then the glowing¹ day,
Used to toil,
Exposes its glow,
And with a varied color
Weaves and composes
This great Universe.

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Lassus: "following"

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © by David Jonathan Justman, (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: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Joachim du Bellay (1525 - c1560)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 51