This edition was prepared by Claude Tallet — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
L'ange et l'enfant
Staff Notation • Secular, Arias
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L'ange et l'enfant by César Franck — Lyrics
Un ange au radieux visage
Penché sur le bord d'un berceau,
Semblait contempler son image
Comme dans l'onde d'un ruisseau.
Charmant enfant qui me ressemble,
Disaitil, oh ! viens avec moi :
Viens, nous serons heureux ensemble
La terre est indigne de toi.
Là, jamais entière allégresse :
L'âme y souffre de ses plaisirs,
Les cris de joie ont leur tristesse
Et Les voluptés ont leurs soupirs.
Eh quoi ! les chagrins, les alarmes
Viendraient troubler ce front si pur,
Et par l'amertume des larmes
Se terniraient ces yeux d'azur !
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About L'ange et l'enfant
This charming French song paints a tender scene of an angel gazing at a sleeping child. The angel speaks to the infant, expressing a desire to take them away from the sorrows and imperfections of the earthly world to a place of eternal happiness. The text contrasts the fleeting pleasures and inevitable pains of human life with the serene, unchanging bliss of the afterlife. César Franck's L'ange et l'enfant, for solo voice of medium range, sets this poignant text with exquisite lyricism. It is a beautiful example of the French mélodie, ideal for a recital programme seeking expressive depth and delicate beauty.
