Hymne

À la très chère, à la très belle,
Qui remplit mon coeur de clarté,
À l'ange, à l'idole immortelle,
Salut en immortalité,
Salut en immortalité!

Elle se répand dans ma vie,
Comme un air imprégné de sel,
Et dans mon âme inassouvie,
Verse le goût de l'Eternel.

Sachet toujours frais qui parfume
l'athmosphère d'un cher réduit,
encensoir oublié qui fume
en secret à travers la nuit.

Comment, amor incorruptible,
T'exprimer avec vérité?
Grain de musc, qui gîs invisible,
Au fond de mon éternité?

À la [très bonne]1, à la très-belle,
Qui remplit mon coeur de clarté,
À l'ange, à l'idole immortelle,
Salut en immortalité,
Salut en immortalité!

by Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) , "Hymne", from Les Épaves, in Galanteries, no. 10, published 1866

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) , "Hymne", op. 7 no. 2 (1870), published 1871, stanzas 1,2,4,5.
by Aleksandr Tikhonovich Gretchaninov (1864-1956) , "Hymne", op. 48 no. 1, from Les Fleurs du Mal, no. 1, note: also set in Russian
by Matthijs Vermeulen (1888-1967) , "Hymne", 1962, from Trois chants d'amour, no. 3.

by Aleksandr Tikhonovich Gretchaninov (1864-1956) , "Gimn", op. 48 no. 1, from Cvety zla, no. 1, note: also set in French

by Bruce Christian Bennett (1968-) , "Hymn", 1996-97 [mixed chorus SATB], from Four Pieces, no. 1.

ENG English (Shawn Thuris)

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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