by
Maurice Donnay (1859 - 1945) and by
Henri Duvernois (1875 - 1937)
La dernière valse
Language: French (Français)
Available translation(s): ENG ITA
Les feuilles tombent, c'est l'automne.
Tu pars, tout est fini!
Ecoute le vent monotone
Dans la forêt sans nid.
Dans sa tristesse la nature
Révèle à ma raison
Que l'amour est une aventure
Qui dure une saison.
Mais ce soir valsons ensemble,
C'est pour la dernière fois.
Presse encor ma main qui tremble,
Que j'entende encor ta voix,
Et si tu vois des larmes
Qui brillent dans mes yeux,
Peut-être alors mes yeux
Auront des charmes délicieux.
Pour m'étourdir dans ma détresse,
Valsons comme aux beaux jours,
Quand tu jurais à ta maitresse
De l'adorer toujours.
Valsons, valsons, ton bras me serre
Bien fort contre ton coeur;
Et je pense: Était'il sincere
Ou bien toujours menteur?
Dernier baiser, dernière étreinte
Tu pars! Voici le jour!
Une étoile s'est éteinte
Dans le ciel de l'amour.
Cruel, cruel, tu vois les larmes
Qui coulent de mes yeux!
Mais les larmes n'ont plus de charmes
Pour les coeurs oublieux.
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Peter Low) , "The last waltz", copyright © 2002, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Cadono le foglie", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Peter Low
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2003-11-12
Line count: 32
Word count: 156
The last waltz
Language: English  after the French (Français)
The leaves are falling, it's autumn.
You're going away, it's all over!
Listen to the monotonous wind
in the forest that is empty of nests.
Nature in her sadness
is revealing to my mind
that love is an adventure
which lasts only a season.
But tonight let's dance together.
This is our final time.
Clasp my trembling hand once more,
let me hear your voice again.
And if there are tears
glistening in my eyes,
then perhaps that will make them
deliciously charming.
To make me dizzy in my distress,
let's waltz as in those happy days
when you kept promising me, your mistress,
you would adore me forever.
Let's waltz, your arm is squeezing me
close against your heart;
And I'm thinking: "Was he sincere
or was he always a liar?"
Last kiss, last embrace!
You are going! It's daylight!
A star has gone dark
in the sky of love.
Cruel man, you can see the tears
that are streaming from my eyes!
But tears have no charms any more
for hearts that forget.
Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2002 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.
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Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-12
Line count: 32
Word count: 176