Song at Engaddi | If you want a phial that is

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by Arthur Justin Léon Leclère (1874 - 1966), as Tristan Klingsor

Translation © by Peter Low

Chanson d'Engaddi

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG GER

Si tu veux une fiole jolie
Et fine comme une fillette arabe
Petite fille aux chères folies
Petite amoureuse adorable.

Si tu veux une fiole d'argile 
peinte et d'argent ciselé, mignonne,
La voici pour y mettre la myrrhe 
et mainte autre odeur d'héliotrope d'automne.

Maintenant, parfume notre lit de violette,
Et tes lèvres amoureuses d'iris,
Et brûle dans une cassolette, 
Cet étrange ambre gris qui nous grise.

Mais garde pour demain 
Cette fiole mystérieuse de myrrhe,
Ces essences de rose et de jasmin,
Et laisse-moi ce soir dormir 
Dans l'or embaumé de tes boucles, 
Plus douces que tous les sachets d'Engaddi, 
Avec la féerique fleur de ton corps souple
Entre mes bras de magicien maudit.

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Text Authorship:

by Arthur Justin Léon Leclère (1874 - 1966), as Tristan Klingsor, "Chanson d'Engaddi", appears in Schéhérazade, first published 1903 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Charles Koechlin (1867 - 1950), "Chanson d'Engaddi", op. 56 no. 1 (1914-1916), first performed 1922 [ high voice and piano ], from Mélodies sur des poésies extraites de la "Shéhérazade" de T. Klingsor (1er Recueil), no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Peter Low) , "Song at Engaddi", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Lied aus En Gedi", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Marc Lerique-Koechlin [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2013-06-03
Line count: 20
Word count: 115

Song at Engaddi

Language: English after the French (Français)

If you want a phial that is
pretty and slim like an Arabian girl,
little girl with endearing follies
adorable girl in love...

If you want a phial of painted
clay and engraved silver, my sweetie,
here is one you can fill with myrrh
and other smells of autumnal heliotrope.

Now perfume our bed with violet scent
and your amorous lips with iris,
and burn in a censer
that strange ambergris that inebriates.

But keep for tomorrow
that mysterious phial of myrrh
and those essences of rose and jasmine;
and allow me to sleep this evening
in the fragrant gold of your curls,
sweeter than all the sachets of Engaddi,
while I hold the fairy flower of your supple body
in these cursed-wizard arms of mine.

Translator's note: "Engaddi" (variously spelt) is an oasis on the shore of the Dead Sea.

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Peter Low, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Arthur Justin Léon Leclère (1874 - 1966), as Tristan Klingsor, "Chanson d'Engaddi", appears in Schéhérazade, first published 1903
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2016-02-15
Line count: 20
Word count: 126