by Paul Robiquet (1848 - 1928)
Translation © by Jean-Pierre Granger

Je me suis plaint aux tourterelles
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  ENG LIT
Je me suis plaint aux tourterelles
Les tourterelles ont gémit.
Et la caresse de leurs ailes
m'a consolé comme un ami

J'ai conté ma douleur au chêne
Le chêne au coeur dur, fut touché.
Les cyprès ont compris ma peine
et vers moi leur front s'est penché

Le zéphyr, effleurant mon âme,
Bien tristement a murmuré :
Mais qui m'a guéri... c'est la femme
Quand je pleurait, elle a pleuré.

Text 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 (Jean-Pierre Granger) , "I complained to the turtle doves", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • LIT Lithuanian (Lietuvių kalba) (Giedrius Prunskus) , "Skundo žodžius tariau balandėliui", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Jean-Pierre Granger

This text was added to the website: 2010-10-21
Line count: 12
Word count: 69

I complained to the turtle doves
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
I complained to the turtle doves;
The turtle dove moaned.
And the caresses of their wings
have consoled me like a friend.

I told about my pain to the oak;
The hard-hearted oak was touched.
The cypresses understood my sorrow
and bent their foreheads over me.

The zephyr, touching slightly my soul,
Quite sadly whispered :
But who has healed me... the woman did.
When I was weeping, she also wept.

The translator has released this translation into the public domain.

Text Authorship:

Based on:

 

This text was added to the website: 2010-10-21
Line count: 12
Word count: 70