Wikisource – The Free Library – is a Wikimedia Foundation project to create a growing free content library of source texts, as well as translations of source texts in any language.
June’s featured text
Grab a download!
Orphée aux Enfers is a libretto by Hector Crémieux and Ludovic Halévy for the first full-length opera by Jacques Offenbach. The opera parodies the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. It was first performed on 21 October 1858, and a revival in 1874 broke previous records at the Gaîté's box-office. The music of the "Galop Infernal" from the final scene was adopted to accompany the vigorous can-can by the music halls of Paris. Orphée aux Enfers remains the most often produced of Offenbach's operas.
Woman that dreams
Sleeps not;
She rises
With the dawn.
Early flowers appear finer;
The meadows are embroidered;
But these flowers, who are they for?
You wish to know
For whom?
Say nothing of it to my spouse,
They are for the pretty shepherd
Who dwells there.
Wikisource is hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization which also hosts other free-content projects:
Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. That's our commitment. And we need your help: contribute to our projects, or make a donation. Donations are primarily used for site maintenance and software improvements.
