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Eight poems of Jean Cocteau
Translations © by Laura Prichard
Song Cycle by Georges Auric (1899 - 1983)
View original-language texts alone: Huit poèmes de Jean Cocteau
Madame Henri Rousseau monte en ballon captif Elle tient un arbrisseau Et le douanier Rousseau prend son apéritif L'aloès gonflé de lune Et l'arbre à fauteuils Et ce beau costume Et la belle lune Sur les belles feuilles Le lion d'Afrique Son ventre gros comme un sac Au pied de la République Le lion d'Afrique Dévore le cheval de fiacre La lune entre dans la flûte Du charmeur noir Yadwigha endormie écoute Et il sort de la douce flûte Un morceau en forme de poire.
Text Authorship:
- by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963), written 1916
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Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., 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.
Mrs. Henri Rousseau rises in a tethered balloon She holds a shrub And the customs officer Rousseau drinks his aperitif The aloe swollen with moon And the armchair tree And that nice suit And the beautiful moon [shining] On the beautiful leaves The African lion His stomach as big as a sack At the foot of the Republic The lion of Africa Devours the carriage horse The moon enters the flute Of the dark snake-charmer Yadwigha, while asleep, listens And out of the sweet flute comes A pear-shaped bit.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Prichard, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963), written 1916
Go to the general single-text view
Translator's note for line 4-3: "Yadwigha" - This locates the poem as a depiction of Rousseau’s painting La Rêve, which depicts the painter’s Polish mistress Yadwigha (from his youth) lying naked on a divan, surrounded by jungle motifs and enertained by a snake charmer.This text was added to the website: 2016-04-14
Line count: 20
Word count: 89
Bouche grave des lions Sourire sinueux des jeunes crocodiles Au fil d'eau du fleuve charriant des millions Iles d'épices Qu'il est beau le fils de la reine veuve et du matelot Le joli matelot délaisse une sirène Sa plainte de veuve au sud de l'îlot C'est la diane dans la cour de la caserne Rêve trop court Aube lanternes mal éteintes Nous nous réveillons Fanfare en haillons!
Text Authorship:
- by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963)
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Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., 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.
Grave mouth of the lions Tortuous smile of the young crocodiles Near the thread of water of the river carrying millions Spice islands How handsome he is the son of the widowed queen and of the sailor The nice sailor abandoned a siren Her widow’s lament to the south of the islet This is the reveille call in the courtyard of the barracks Too short a dream Daybreak poorly extinguished lanterns We are waking up A tattered fanfare!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Prichard, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963)
Go to the general single-text view
This text was added to the website: 2016-04-14
Line count: 16
Word count: 78
Que la vie est ennuyeuse à cinq heures et demie de ce petit matin en berne Les dianes contagieuses se propagent dans les casernes comme une douce épidémie Dieu que ce coq de cuivre est triste l'ange cycliste sort de la crèche pour envoyer mille dépêches La pauvre Diane s'enroue dans cette énorme bâtiment Réveillez-vous frileusement voyageurs de la Grande Roue
Text Authorship:
- by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963)
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Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., 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.
How boring life is at 5:30am this morning at half mast Contagious reveille calls spread through the barracks like a fresh outbreak God this copper chicken is sad the angel cyclist leaves the crib to send a thousand dispatches The poor bugler grows hoarse in this enormous building Wake up chilly passengers on the Ferris Wheel
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Prichard, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963)
Go to the general single-text view
This text was added to the website: 2016-04-14
Line count: 14
Word count: 56
Je bois l'eau froide par saccades Coup de couteau je bois encor O lourde lourde cavalcade Galope dans la nuit du corps Le jet d'eau boîte, éclabousse le massif de bégonias On dirait que dans l'herbe il y a Des morceaux mouillés de langouste Aux profondeurs d'un océan Deux poissons aux belles ouoes chantent sur un arbre blanc Mais leur chanson n'est pas ouoe Tu n'auras jamais Amphitrite Ce joli cortège de truites
Text Authorship:
- by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963)
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Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., 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.
I drink the cold water in jerks Knife thrust I take another drink Oh heavy heavy cavalcade [that] Gallops bodily at night The water sprinkler splashes the mass of begonias One might say that there are in the grass Wet pieces of lobster In the depths of an ocean two fish with good ouoes sing in a white tree But their song isn't ouoe You’ll never have Amphitrite This nice procession of trout
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Prichard, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963)
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Translator's notes:Title, "Aglaia" - one of the Muses, the name of a French frigate, and also the genus of most mahogany trees
Line 4-1: "Amphitrite" - a sea goodess and wife of Poseidon, the personification of the sea itself
This text was added to the website: 2016-04-14
Line count: 14
Word count: 73
Écoute Dieu ronronne dans son beau ciel vide Rouet d'Omphale Les Nations Une remise triomphale de décorations Place des Invalides Dôme d'or Le bilan se dépêche, carde un nuage Les cocardes triclores Nasse la tour Eiffel pendue Elle attrape en silence Toutes les dépêches du monde
Text Authorship:
- by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963), "Place des Invalides", written 1917?
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Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., 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.
Listen God is purring along in the beautiful empty sky The Spinning Wheel of Omphale The Nations A triumphal decoration day ceremony Place des Invalides Golden dome Rushed schedule, carding a cloud The tricolored cockades Net the Eiffel Tower hangs She silently traps All the dispatches in the world
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Prichard, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963), "Place des Invalides", written 1917?
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Translator's notes:Title - "Place des Invalides" - The open park and military parade ground next to the Hôtel des Invalides, a gold-domed topped museum complex and national monument
Line 1-2: "Omphale" - Omphale was a queen of the ancient Greek kingdom of Lydia; Saint-Saëns wrote a symphonic poem in the 1870s titled "Le Rouet d’Omphale", the rouet being a spinning wheel used by the queen.
Line 2-2: "cloud" - still referring to the spinning process, as if the cloud were wool that needed to be cleaned and “carded"
Line 2-3: "cockades" - patriotic label and hat ribbons worn in France of red, white, and blue
This text was added to the website: 2016-04-14
Line count: 10
Word count: 49
Entre les fauves et les cubistes Prise au piège petite biche Une pelouse des anémies Pâlissent le nez des amies France jeune fille nombreuse Clara d'Ellebeuse, Sophie Fichini Bientôt la Guerre sera finie Pour que se cabre un doux bétail Aux volets de votre évantail Vive la France!
Text Authorship:
- by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963), "Marie Laurencin", first published 1920
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Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., 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.
Between the Fauves and the Cubists Caught in a trap little doe A lawn of anemias Pale the friends’ nose France young lady numerous Clara d’Ellebeuse, Sophie Fichini Soon the war will be over For the rearing up of one sweet livestock In the little flaps of your fan Long live France!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Prichard, (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:
- a text in French (Français) by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963), "Marie Laurencin", first published 1920
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Translator's notesTitle - Marie Laurencin - A member of the French avant-garde (1883-1956) who painted Cubist portraits (mainly of women and girls), and provided the fron curtain for Diaghilev’s "Les biches" in the 1920s. Her "Toilette des jeunes filles" (Parlor of the Young Ladies), featuring girls with fans, was included in the 1913 Armory Show and her "Femme à l’eventail" (Woman with a Fan) was exhibited in 1912.
Line 4-1: "Clara d’Ellebeuse" - the title character in a work of French prose by Francis Jammes, published in 1899.
Line 4-2: "Sophie Fichini" - a mischevious character in the classic children’s book trilogy of Sophie Rostopchine, countess of Ségur, which includes the "Misfortunes of Sophie", published in 1859.
Line 5-2: "livestock" - also, cattle (definitely plural)
This text was added to the website: 2016-04-14
Line count: 11
Word count: 52
Le bruit de l'aéro se fane à la descente La voix du ciel nouveau, toupie O Orion module Dans le matin chargé d'émotion de vivre Ma cour sonore Le bruit profond des seaux remués dans la cour Un chien qui joue L'archange aux ailes solides va chez la Vierge Marie Aux environs de Paris Foule Une brume violette Il fait beau Le général PICON BYRRH PETIT JOURNAL La Seine coule et désaltère Les pont frais comme des tombeaux Et haut et haut lève la tête Un orgue dans le Paradis
Text Authorship:
- by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963)
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Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., 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.
The sound of the airplane fading during its descent The voice of the new heaven, spinning Oh Orion, modulate In the morning emotionally charged with life My sonorous courtyard The deep sound of buckets disturbed in the courtyard A dog who is playing The archangel with solid wings going home with the Virgin Mary In the environs on Paris Flock A purple haze It’s beautiful The general PICON BYRRH LITTLE NEWSPAPER The River Seine flows and quenches The bridge cool as tombs And high and high rasie your head An organ in paradise
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Prichard, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963)
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Translator's note for line 1-16: Byrrh and Amer Picon are popular liquers that have a bittersweet flavor. They are not as intensely flavored as bitters, so medium-sized bottles would be present on the top of a bar.This text was added to the website: 2016-04-14
Line count: 16
Word count: 93
Des aloès et des mésanges en costume de dimanche. Les anges aux grosses ailes volent autour de la tour Eiffel. Le dirigeable RÉPUBLIQUE Le nègre jouait de la pipe Sur la Butte fumant sa flûte L'autre s'appelait Jean-Jacques Biplan soleil cloches de Pâques Ce fut une belle Liberté. On y voyait toutes les bêtes de la jungle et de la cité. Un lion et un cheval blanc et tous les deux très ressemblants. La mésange disait: "Vive la République!"
Text Authorship:
- by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963), "Portrait d'Henri Rousseau", written 1917?, appears in Embarcadères
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Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., 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.
Aloes and sparrows wearing their Sunday best. The angels with big wings fly around the Eiffel Tower. The dirigible RÉPUBLIQUE The black man was playing the pipe On the Butte smoking his flute The other called himself Jean-Jacques Biplane sun Easter chimes It was a beautiful Liberty. There one could see all the beasts of the jungle and of the city. A lion and a white horse and they both looked like each other. The sparrow said: “Long live the Republic!”
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Prichard, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963), "Portrait d'Henri Rousseau", written 1917?, appears in Embarcadères
Go to the general single-text view
Translator's notes:Line 2-1: "angels with big wings" - i.e., biplanes
Line 3-3: "Butte" - the hilly area on Montmatre, in the north central section of Paris
Line 4-1: a reference to the end of World War I
This text was added to the website: 2016-04-14
Line count: 15
Word count: 81