by
Édouard Grenier (1819 - 1901)
J'ai dit aux étoiles
Language: French (Français)
Available translation(s): ENG
J'ai dit aux étoiles:
Elle est votre soeur,
Et vos yeux sans voiles
Ont moins de douceur
Que dans sa prunelle
L'humide étincelle
Qui lui vient du coeur.
J'ai dit à la rose:
Fais-lui des emprunts!
Sa bouche miclose
Et ses cheveux bruns
Ont si douce haleine
Qu'ils passent sans peine
Tes plus doux parfums.
J'ai dit à la brise
Qui meurt dans les bois,
À l'eau qui se brise
Et chante parfois:
Sa voix est plus pure
Que votre murmure,
Imitez sa voix.
J'ai dit à l'Aurore:
Ton ciel d'orient
Pourrait être encore
Cent fois plus brillant,
Si tu savais prendre
L'éclat doux et tendre
De son front riant!
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 (Faith J. Cormier) , "I said to the stars", copyright © 2001, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 28
Word count: 110
I said to the stars
Language: English  after the French (Français)
I said to the stars,
"She is your sister,
and your unveiled eyes
do not hold as much sweetness
as the damp spark
in hers that comes
from her heart."
I said to the rose,
"Borrow from her!
Her half-open mouth
and her brown hair
have such a sweet breath
that they easily excel
your sweetest perfumes."
I said to the breeze
that dies in the woods,
and to the water that sometimes
breaks and sings:
"Her voice is purer
than your murmuring.
Imitate her voice."
I said to the dawn:
"Your eastern sky
could be
a hundred times brighter
if you knew how to borrow
the sweet, tender brilliance
of her laughing brow!"
Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2001 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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Based on:
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 28
Word count: 115