Sous une lumière blafarde Court, danse et se tord sans raison La Vie, impudente et criarde. Aussi, sitôt qu'à l'horizon La nuit voluptueuse monte, Apaisant tout, même la faim, Effaçant tout, même la honte, Le Poëte se dit : « Enfin! Mon esprit, comme mes vertèbres, Invoque ardemment le repos ; Le cœur plein de songes funèbres, Je vais me coucher sur le dos Et me rouler dans vos rideaux, O rafraîchissantes ténèbres ! »
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Charles Baudelaire, Les Fleurs du mal, Paris: Poulet-Malassis et de Broise, 1861, in La Mort, pages 301-302. Note: this was number 124 in 1861 edition of Les Fleurs du mal but number 149 in subsequent editions.
In line 2-4, "Poëte" is an archaic spelling and would be spelled "Poète" using modern French spelling conventions.
Authorship:
- by Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867), "La fin de la journée", appears in Les Fleurs du mal, in 6. La Mort, no. 124, Paris, Poulet-Malassis et de Broise, first published 1861 [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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "La fin de la journée", 1990 [ medium voice and piano ], from La Mort, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Benjamin C. S. Boyle , "La fin de la journée ", published 2000 [ voice and piano ], from Quatre Chansons, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jérémy Langouet (b. 1992), "L'Irrémédiable", 2017, published 2017 [ low voice and prepared piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Klaus Miehling (b. 1963), "La fin de la journée ", op. 42 no. 2 (1993), published 2014 [ voice and piano ], from Vier Lieder nach Texten von Charles Baudelaire, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Frans Vuursteen (b. 1954), "La fin de la journée", 1980 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Ned Rorem.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Goll) , "Den na konci"
- GER German (Deutsch) (Stefan George) , "Ende des Tages"
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2004-08-04
Line count: 14
Word count: 75
In fading light Life dances, twists, and crazily rushes, impudent and shrill, while Night rises, appeasing all, even hunger, hiding all, even shame, The Poet whispers to himself: Finally! while body and soul long desperately for rest, my heart seethes with deathly dreams. Let me lie on my back and enshroud myself in your curtains, O nourishing darkness!
Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867), "La fin de la journée", appears in Les Fleurs du mal, in 6. La Mort, no. 124, Paris, Poulet-Malassis et de Broise, first published 1861
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ned Rorem (1923 - 2022), "End of the Day", 1997, published 1999, from Evidence of Things Not Seen, no. 33 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2004-08-04
Line count: 14
Word count: 58