Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924): Au Cimetiere, Op. 51, No. 2 (composed and first published in 1888) Text: Jean Richepin Original Key/Recorded Key: E Minor* Teach-Track begins: m. 1 Accompaniment Track begins: m. 1 Pianist: Steven Spooner * The International edition of this song (ed. Sergius Kagen) mistakenly cites D Minor as being the original key. The Hal Leonard ?Vocal Library? edition (Milwaukee, 1993, ed. Richard Walters and Laura Ward) mistakenly prints the title as ?Au Cimetiére? (i.e., with a forward-slash rather than the correct back-slash accent [accent grave] over the ?e? in ?cimetiere?).
Au cimetiére At the cemetery Heureux qui meurt ici, Happy who dies here Ainsi que les oiseaux des champs! Like that the birds of the field! Son corps, près des amis, His body, near the friends, Est mis dans l'herbe et dans les chants. Is laid in the earth and in the songs. Il dort d'un bon sommeil vermeil, He sleeps a good sleep rosy, Sous le ciel radieux. Under the sky radiant. Tous ceux qu'il a connus, venus, All those that he had known, have come, Lui font de longs adieux. He makes the long farewells. À sa croix les parents pleurants, By his cross his parents weeping, Restent a genouillés, Remain kneeling, Et ses os, sous les fleurs, de pleurs And his bones, beneath the flowers, from tears Sont doucement mouillés Are gently watered Chacun sur le bois noir, Each of them on the wood black, Peut voir s'il était jeune ou non, Can see if he was young or not, Et peut, avec de vrais regrets. And can, with of pure regrets. L'appeler par son nom, Call him by his name, Combien plus malchanceux How much more unfortunate Sont ceux qui meurent à la mé, Are those who die on the sea, Et sous le flot profond And under the waves deep S'en vont loin du pays aimé! They go far from the land beloved! Ah! pauvres! qui pour seul linceuls Ah! Poor ones! Who for only shroud Ont les goëmons verts, Have the seaweed green, Où l'on roule inconnu, tout nu, Where they roll unknown, all naked, Et les yeux grands ouverts! And their eyes wide open!