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Marquise, si mon visage A quelques traits un peu vieux, Souvenez-vous qu'à mon âge Vous ne vaudrez guère mieux. Le temps aux plus belles choses Se plaît à faire un affront, Et saura faner vos roses Comme il a ridé mon front. Le même cours des planètes Règle nos jours et nos nuits, On m'a vu ce que vous êtes ; Vous serez ce que je suis.1 Cependant j'ai quelques charmes Qui sont assez éclatants Pour n'avoir pas trop d'alarmes De ces ravages du temps. Vous en avez qu'on adore, Mais ceux que vous méprisez Pourraient bien durer encore Quand ceux-là seront usés. Ils pourront sauver la gloire Des yeux qui me semblent doux, Et dans mille ans faire croire Ce qu'il me plaira de vous. Chez cette race nouvelle On j'aurai quelque crédit, Vous ne passerez pour belle Qu'autant que je l'aurai dit. Pensez-y, belle Marquise : Quoiqu'un grison fasse effroi, Il vaut bien qu'on le courtise, Quand il est fait comme moi.
G. Brassens sets lines 1-12
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with St. John Lucas, The Oxford Book Of French Verse xiiith Century—xixth Century, Oxford University Press, American branch, 1907, p.145
1 Brassens addsPeut-être que je serai vieille, Répond Marquise, cependant J'ai vingt-six ans, mon vieux Corneille, Et je t'emmerde en attendant.
Authorship:
- by Pierre Corneille (1606 - 1684), "Stances à la Marquise", written 1658, appears in Recueil de Sercy [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 Georges Brassens (1921 - 1981), "Marquise", 1962, lines 1-12 [ voice and guitar ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Irène Fuerison (1875 - 1931), "Stances à la marquise", op. 5 (1908) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gaston Hervé-Léveillé (d. 1945), "Stances à Marquise", published [1914] [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. Maurice Sénart & Cie. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean-Louis Aristide Hignard (1822 - 1897), "Stances à la marquise", published [1863] [ medium voice and piano ], from Rimes et mélodies, 12 morceaux de chant, 2ème série, no. 4, Paris, Éditions E. Heu [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English [singable] (Peter Low) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Low [Guest Editor] , Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2023-05-29
Line count: 32
Word count: 164
Marquise, if you have noticed that my face is not brand-new, only think: when you’re past fifty, the same will be true of you. Father Time delights in degrading every flower that’s young and fair. He will surely fade your roses, just as he has grayed my hair. The laws that govern the planets wrinkle every human brow. I was once as fresh as you are and you will be as I am now. [... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...]
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Brassens adds:
Perhaps I will one day grow ancient, said Marquise, and self-destruct. However now I’m twenty-seven, and you, old fool, can go get stuffed.
Authorship:
- Singable translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2023 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 Pierre Corneille (1606 - 1684), "Stances à la Marquise", written 1658, appears in Recueil de Sercy
This text was added to the website: 2023-09-19
Line count: 32
Word count: 94