Im Nymphenheiligtum | Wiewohl du sie nicht siehst

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by Charles van Lerberghe (1861 - 1907)

Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

Dans la Nymphée

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG GER

Quoique tes yeux ne la voient pas,
Sache, en ton âme, qu'elle est là,
Comme autrefois divine et blanche.

Sur ce bord reposent ses mains.
Sa tête est entre ces jasmins ;
Là, ses pieds effleurent les branches.

Elle sommeille en ces rameaux.
Ses lèvres et ses yeux sont clos,
Et sa bouche à peine respire. 

Parfois, la nuit, dans un éclair
Elle apparaît les yeux ouverts,
Et l'éclair dans ses yeux se mire.

Un bref éblouissement bleu
La découvre en ses longs cheveux ;
Elle s'éveille, elle se lève.

Et tout un jardin ébloui
S'illumine au fond de la nuit,
Dans le rapide éclair d'un rêve.

Confirmed with van Lerberghe, Charles, Entrevisions, suivi de Poèmes posthumes, Paris, G. Crès, 1923, pages 32-33.

Text Authorship:

by Charles van Lerberghe (1861 - 1907), "Dans la Nymphée", written 1898, appears in Entrevisions, in 1. Jeux et songes, no. 12, Bruxelles, Éd. Lacomblez, first published 1898 [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 Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924), "Dans la Nymphée", op. 106 no. 5 (1914), published 1915 [ medium voice and piano ], from Le jardin clos, no. 5, Paris, Éd. Durand & Cie. [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Al nimfeu", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Pieter van der Woel) , "In de nimf, de waterlelie", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (David Arkell) , "In the grotto", copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Im Nymphenheiligtum", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Didier Pelat

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 105

Im Nymphenheiligtum

Language: German (Deutsch) after the French (Français)

Wiewohl du sie nicht siehst,
so wisse, dass sie in deinem Herzen ist,
wie einstmals, göttlich, hell und rein.

Auf diesem Ufer ruhen ihre Hände.
Ihr Haupt verbirgt sich im Jasmin;
Dort rühren ihre Füße ans Geäst.

Sie schlummert in den Zweigen.
Augen und Mund geschlossen -
kaum atmet sie.

Manchmal, zur Nacht, erscheint
im Blitze sie, die Augen offen;
in ihren Augen spiegelt sich der Blitz.

Im kurzen blauen Leuchten
taucht sie auf mit ihrem langen Haar;
Sie ist erwacht und steht nun auf.

Der Garten, ganz verzaubert,
leuchtet auf in tiefer Nacht
im Blitze eines Traums.

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2015 by Bertram Kottmann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Bertram Kottmann. Contact: BKottmann (AT) t-online.de
If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Charles van Lerberghe (1861 - 1907), "Dans la Nymphée", written 1898, appears in Entrevisions, in 1. Jeux et songes, no. 12, Bruxelles, Éd. Lacomblez, first published 1898
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2015-02-14
Line count: 18
Word count: 97