Gabriel Fauré - Après un rêve Op 7 No 1

This year is the centenary of the death of Gabriel Urbain Fauré, who was born in 1845 in Pamiers, Ariège, (Occitanie) in the south of France. Like Schubert in Vienna at the beginning of the century, Fauré occupies pride of place in France as song-writer supreme, and while his songs are known and loved by singers, they are not so much appreciated by the wider public, despite the popularity of his Requiem.
This song is an early work, dating from 1877 and has the most haunting of melodies; the words are below. It has been arranged for various solo instruments and piano as well as for organ. (For obvious reasons I am using the French specification of my Viscount Ouverture and enjoying the new ebony and cherry keyboards recently fitted.)
Dans un sommeil que charmait ton image
Je rêvais le bonheur, ardent mirage,
Tes yeux étaient plus doux, ta voix pure et sonore,
Tu rayonnais comme un ciel éclairé par l'aurore;
Tu m'appelais et je quittais la terre
Pour m'enfuir avec toi vers la lumière,
Les cieux pour nous entr'ouvraient leurs nues,
Splendeurs inconnues, lueurs divines entrevues,
Hélas! Hélas! triste réveil des songes
Je t'appelle, ô nuit, rends-moi tes mensonges,
Reviens, reviens radieuse,
Reviens ô nuit mystérieuse!
(Words adapted into French by Romain Bussine from an anonymous Italian poem.)