Last Updated: 7 March 2023

Le temps du muguet is a French song with lyrics dating from the mid-20th century.

The story of the song

Le temps du muguet is a song written by Francis Lemarque (1917-2002) in 1959. It is a very nice song interpreted on the tune of a famous a Soviet Russian song: "Moscow nights" (les nuits de Moscou).

Muguet and May Day

Le temps du muguet is a song about love. It is a love that will bloom together with the lily of the valley and that will remain for a long time even after its blooming.

Muguet (Lily of the Valley). Photo by kostiuchenko via Envato Elements

Muguet (Lily of the Valley). Photo by kostiuchenko via Envato Elements

The song is a symbol of spring, of life, of love, but also of May Day, known as Fête du Travail in France (Labour Day).

The lyrics of the song were written by Francis Lemarque and set to a Russian tune composed in 1955 by Vasily Solovyov-Sedoi (music) and Mikhail Matusovsky (lyrics).

The Russian song

In fact, the original song has nothing to do with May Day, nor with lily of the valley.

As the composer was a native of present-day St Petersburg, it was to be called Leningrad Nights. It became Moscow Nights at the request of the Soviet Ministry of Culture at the time.

Le temps du muguet

Lyrics, music, free download... let's learn more about the popular song:

The lyrics in French

The original song of Le temps du muguet has 3 verses.

Couplet 1

Il est revenu le temps du muguet
Comme un vieil ami retrouvé
Il est revenu flâner le long des quais
Jusqu'au banc où je t'attendais
Et j'ai vu refleurir
L'éclat de ton sourire
Aujourd'hui plus beau que jamais.


Couplet 2

Le temps du muguet ne dure jamais
Plus longtemps que le mois de mai
Quand tous ses bouquets déjà seront fanés
Pour nous deux, rien n'aura changé
Aussi belle qu'avant
Notre chanson d'amour
Chantera comme au premier jour.


Couplet 3

Il s'en est allé, le temps du muguet
Comme un vieil ami fatigué
Pour toute une année, pour se faire oublier
En partant, il nous a laissé
Un peu de son printemps
Un peu de ses vingt ans
Pour s'aimer, pour s'aimer longtemps.

Translation of the lyrics into English

Here is an approximative translation into English:

Verse 1

The time of the lily of the valley has returned
Like an old friend found
It has come back to stroll along the quays
To the bench where I was waiting for you
And I saw your smile
The brightness of your smile
Today more beautiful than ever.


Verse 2

The time of the lily of the valley never lasts
Longer than the month of May
When all its bouquets have already faded
For both of us, nothing will have changed
As beautiful as before
Our love song
Will sing as it did on the first day.


Verse 3

Gone is the time of the lily of the valley
Like a tired old friend
For a whole year, to be forgotten
When he left, he forgot us
A bit of his spring
A bit of his twenty years
To love each other, to love each other long.

Download the Lyrics for FREE!

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Le temps du muguet © French Moments

French Nursery Rhymes

My challenge for the year 2023 is to publish 80 French Nursery Rhymes lyrics and descriptions (list below). Come back as time goes by to discover the new articles:

About the author

Pierre is a French/Australian who is passionate about France and its culture. He grew up in France and Germany and has also lived in Australia and England. He has a background teaching French, Economics and Current Affairs, and holds a Master of Translating and Interpreting English-French with the degree of Master of International Relations, and a degree of Economics and Management. Pierre is the author of the Discovery Course on the Secrets of the Eiffel Tower and the Christmas book "Voyage au Pays de Noël".

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