This song was recorded live in The Jacqueline du Pré Music Building, St Hilda’s College as part of the Oxford Lieder Festival in 2006.
Click here to listen to this song performed by Sophie Daneman and Julius Drake.
Viens, les gazons sont verts
French source:
Jules Barbier
Debout, debout! voici le soleil!
Chasse de tes yeux l'indolent sommeil!
C'est l'heure du réveil!
Suis moi, vive et gentille!
Pieds nus, viens! Les gazons sont verts!
Les ruisseaux jaseurs par les bois déserts
Promènent leurs flots clairs!
Come, the lawns are green
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Rise up, rise up, the sun is here!
Brush idle sleep from your eyes,
It is time to awake!
Follow me quickly and sweetly,
Barefoot, come, the lawns are green!
The babbling brooks in the empty woods
Flow with limpid water.
Translation © Richard Stokes, from A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)
Viens, les gazons sont verts
French source:
Jules Barbier
Come, the lawns are green
English source:
Richard Stokes
Si tu dors, jeune fille,
If you are sleeping, my girl,
Debout, debout! voici le soleil!
Rise up, rise up, the sun is here!
Chasse de tes yeux l'indolent sommeil!
Brush idle sleep from your eyes,
C'est l'heure du réveil!
It is time to awake!
Suis moi, vive et gentille!
Follow me quickly and sweetly,
Pieds nus, viens! Les gazons sont verts!
Barefoot, come, the lawns are green!
Les ruisseaux jaseurs par les bois déserts
The babbling brooks in the empty woods
Promènent leurs flots clairs!
Flow with limpid water.
Composer
Charles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod was a French composer, best known for his Ave Maria, based on a work by Bach, as well as his opera Faust. Read more here.
Poet
Jules Barbier
Paul Jules Barbier was a French poet, writer and librettist.