Pauline Viardot L’absence / The absence

In Classics, Songs, Songs by Female composers, Songs in French by Vogler & Lindqvist3 Comments

L’Absence     from a spanish folk poem

Aux longs tourments de l’absence
Le seul remède est mourir
Dans la triste indifférence
Pourquoi si longtemps languir ?
Sans repos, sans espérance ?
Est-ce vivre que souffrir ?

Lorsque je tiens ma promesse,
Ingrat, de t’aimer toujours,
Peut-être une autre maitresse
T’enivre d’autres amours.
C’est hélas! trop de souffrance,
Je sens mon coeur défaillir.

Absence   translation by Philipp Vogler

In long agonies of absence
The only remedy is to die
In sad indifference
Why shall I yearn for such a long time?
Without rest, without hope?
Does living mean suffering?

When I stand by my promise,
You ungrateful, to always love you,
Perhaps another mistress
Makes you besotted of other loves.
It is, alas! too much pain,
I feel my heart fainting.

 

Learn more about Pauline Viardot here.

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Comments

  1. Truly beautiful, I had never heard of this composer before today!

  2. What a wonderful project! I am so happy to discover your work as I have been researching Pauline Viardot and other lesser known women composers from the 19th and 20th centuries. I am hoping to find work/recordings of pieces by Louise Farrenc. She may be a composer of interest to you. Thank you for your project!

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