by
William Sharp (1855 - 1905), as Fiona Macleod
The Rose of the Night
Language: English
Available translation(s): FRE
The dark rose of thy mouth
Draw nigher, draw nigher!
Thy breath is the wind of the south,
A wind of fire,
The wind and the rose and darkness,
O Rose of my Desire!
Deep silence of the night,
Husht like a breathless lyre,
Save the sea's thunderous might,
Dim, menacing, dire,
Silence and wind and sea, they are thee,
O Rose of my Desire!
As a wind-eddying flame
Leaping higher and higher,
Thy soul, thy secret name,
Leaps thro' Death's blazing pyre,
Kiss me, Imperishable Fire, dark Rose,
O Rose of my Desire!
Author's note: There is an old mystical legend that when a soul among the dead woos a soul among the living, so that both may be reborn as one, the sign is a dark rose, or a rose of flame, in the heart of the night.
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):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "La Rose de la Nuit", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-08-18
Line count: 18
Word count: 94
La Rose de la Nuit
Language: French (Français)  after the English
La rose sombre de ta bouche
Vient plus près, vient plus près !
Ton souffle est le vent du sud,
Un vent de feu,
Le vent et la rose et l'obscurité,
Ô Rose de mon Désir !
Le profond silence de la nuit,
Étouffée comme une lyre oppressée,
Excepté le pouvoir étourdissant de la mer,
Faible, menaçant, sinistre,
Silence et vent et mer, ils sont toi,
Ô Rose de mon Désir !
Comme une flamme tournoyant dans le vent
Sautant de plus en plus haut,
Ton âme, ton nom secret,
Saute à travers le bûcher ardent de la mort,
Embrasse-moi, Feu Impérissable, Rose sombre,
Ô Rose de mon Désir !
Authorship:
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2010 by Guy Laffaille, (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:
This text was added to the website: 2010-04-02
Line count: 18
Word count: 110