Au pied de mon lit, une Vierge négresse

Au pied de mon lit, une Vierge négresse
fut mise par ma mère. Et j'aime cette Vierge
d'une religion un peu italienne.
Virgo Lauretana, debout dans un fond d'or,
qui me faites penser à mille fruits de mer
que l'on vend sur les quais où pas un souffle d'air
n'émeut les pavillons qui lourdement s'endorment,
Virgo Lauretana, vous savez qu'en ces heures
où je ne me sens pas digne d'être aimé d'elle
c'est vous dont le parfum me rafraîchit le cœur.

Translation(s): ENG

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Authorship

• by Francis Jammes (1868 - 1938), no title, appears in Clairières dans le ciel, in Tristesses, no. 8, first published 1906 [ author's text checked 1 time]

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

• by Michel Bosc (b. 1963), "Au pied de mon lit", 1999 [high voice, flute, and piano], from Tristesses, no. 8. [
   text not verified 
  ]
• by Lili Boulanger (1893 - 1918), "Au pied de mon lit", 1914, published 1919 [high voice and piano or orchestra], from Clairières dans le ciel, no. 5, Ricordi [
   text verified 1 time
  ]

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

• ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , title 1: "At the foot of my bed", copyright © 2003, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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At the foot of my bed

At the foot of my bed my mother hung a Black Virgin. 
And I love this Virgin
with an almost Italian devotion. 
Virgo Lauretana, standing in a field of gold, 
you make me think of a thousand crustaceans 
for sale on wharves where not a breath of air 
stirs the sleepy banners. 
Virgo Lauretana, you know that in those hours 
when I am not worthy to be loved by her, 
your perfume refreshes my heart.

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Authorship

• Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2003 by Faith J. Cormier, (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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• a text in French (Français) by Francis Jammes (1868 - 1938), no title, appears in Clairières dans le ciel, in Tristesses, no. 8, first published 1906
• This text was set to music by the following composer(s): Michel Bosc, Lili Boulanger. Go to the text.

Text added to the website: 2004-01-27.
Last modified: 2014-06-16 10:02:04
Line count: 10
Word count: 75