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Le ciel si pâle et les arbres si grêles Semblent sourire à nos costumes clairs Qui vont flottant [légers]1, avec des airs De nonchalance et des mouvements d'ailes. Et le vent doux ride l'humble bassin, Et la lueur du soleil qu'atténue L'ombre des bas tilleuls de l'avenue, Nous parvient bleue et mourante à dessein. Trompeurs exquis et coquettes charmantes, Cœurs tendres, mais affranchis du serment, Nous devisons délicieusement, Et les amants lutinent les amantes, De qui la main imperceptible sait Parfois donner un soufflet, qu'on échange Contre un baiser sur l'extrême phalange Du petit doigt, et comme la chose est Immensément excessive et farouche, On est puni par un regard très sec, Lequel contraste, au demeurant, avec La moue assez clémente de la bouche.
Confirmed with Paul Verlaine, Fêtes galantes, Paris: Alphonse Lemerre, 1869, pages 9-10.
Notes: All ampersands (&) as appear in the first publication are changed to "et". "très-sec" as appears in the first publication is changed to "très sec".
1 omitted by K. SorabjiText Authorship:
- by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "À la promenade", appears in Fêtes galantes, no. 5, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1869 [author's text checked 1 time 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 Gérard Condé (b. 1947), "À la promenade", 1973, published 2001 [ reciter and piano ], from Fêtes galantes, récitation accompagnée au piano, no. 4, Éd. Henry Lemoine [sung text not yet checked]
- by Fernand Ochsé (1879 - 1944), "À la promenade ", 1908, published 1913 [ voice and piano ], from Le Parc, no. 3, Berlin, Fürstner [sung text not yet checked]
- by Kaikhosru Sorabji (1892 - 1988), "À la promenade", KSS 37 no. 2 (1924), published 1924 [ voice and piano ], from Trois fêtes galantes de Verlaine, no. 2, London, Curwen [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Johannes Schlaf (1862 - 1941) , "Auf der Promenade" ; composed by Artur Immisch.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Charles Hopkins) , "Strolling", written 2002, copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Charles Hopkins) , "À la promenade", written c2005, copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "La passeggiata", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 126
The sky so pale and the trees so gaunt Seem to smile at our bright costumes Which float weightlessly, Like wings fluttering with a nonchalant air. And the gentle breeze ruffles the surface of the lowly lake, And the glimmer of sunlight That softens the shadows beneath the linden trees on the avenue Reaches us blue and deliberately fading. Stylish deceivers and charming coquettes, Tender hearts, but unburdened by honour, We converse exquisitely And lovers caress their beloved, Whose imperceptible hand knows Sometimes to deliver a slap, to be exchanged For a kiss on the furthest tip Of the little finger, and as the matter is Hugely exaggerated in its intensity, One is punished with a dismissive glance, In contrast, incidentally, With the gentlest pout of the lips.
Confirmed with an original Microsoft Word Document provided by Alistair Hinton.
Text Authorship:
- by Charles Hopkins (1952 - 2007), "À la promenade", written c2005, copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "À la promenade", appears in Fêtes galantes, no. 5, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1869
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Set in a modified version by .
Researcher for this page: Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2018-08-04
Line count: 20
Word count: 128