Si tu as dormi dans les oasis, alors compare à l'odeur qui monte des jardins, à l'aube, le parfum de sa chair. Si tu n'as jamais vu de rose exténuée [de soleil]1, ne parle jamais de l'éclat de ses joues. Si tu n'as jamais vu de lys arrosé de lune, ne parle jamais de la blancheur de ses jambes. Si tu as fait fondre contre tes dents des grains tièdes de raisin, alors évoque le goût de sa bouche pendant le baiser. Si, au désert, la nuit, tu as cru entendre quelquefois la musique des constellations en marche, alors compare à cette harmonie la musique de sa voix. Si tu n'as jamais pleuré d'amour, ne cherche pas à connaître celle qui m'aime.
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
View original text (without footnotes)First published in Mercure de France, 1909.
1 omitted by Coelho.
Authorship:
- by Franz Toussaint (1879 - 1955), "Djelloul Ben Hassouna", appears in Kacidas Mauresques du Xe siècle [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 Ruy Coelho (1889 - 1986), "Djelloul Ben Hassouna", published [1931], from 6 Kacides mauresques, no. 6, Lisboa : Oliveira [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Harry Joelson
This text was added to the website: 2010-08-01
Line count: 10
Word count: 122