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J'ai un couteau dans l' cœur -- Une belle, une belle l'a planté -- J'ai un couteau dans l' cœur Et ne peux pas l'ôter. C' couteau, c'est l'amour d'elle -- Une belle, une belle l'a planté -- Tout mon cœur sortirait Avec tout mon regret. Il y faut un baiser. -- Une belle, une belle l'a planté -- Un baiser sur le cœur Mais ell' ne veut l' donner. Couteau, reste en mon cœur Si la plus belle t'y a planté ! J' veux bien me mourir d'elle Mais j' veux pas l'oublier !
Confirmed with Camille Mauclair, Le Sang parle. Poèmes, Paris, Maison du Livre, 1904, pages 209-210.
Note: the punctuation in Boulanger's score is slightly different, and is as follows:
1. There is a period at the end of stanza 1, line 2; stanza 2, line 2; stanza 3 line 2; and stanza 4 line 4.
2. There is a comma at the end of stanza 2, line 1; stanza 3, line 1; and stanza 4, line 3.
Text Authorship:
- by Séverin Faust (1872 - 1945), as Camille Mauclair, "Le Couteau", subtitle: "(Populaire)", written 1904, appears in Le Sang parle, in 3. Lieds, no. 24, Paris, Éd. Maison du Livre, first published 1904 [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 Nadia Boulanger (1887 - 1979), "Le Couteau", published 1922 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The knife", copyright © 2022
- GER German (Deutsch) (Georg Gädker) , "Das Messer", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Georg Gädker
This text was added to the website: 2007-08-18
Line count: 16
Word count: 87
I have a knife in my heart -- A beauty, a beauty planted it -- I have a knife in my heart And I can't take it out. This knife, this is her love -- A beauty, a beauty planted it -- All my heart would leave With all my regret. It needs a kiss. -- A beauty, a beauty planted it -- A kiss on my heart But she does not wish to give one. Knife, stay in my heart If the most beautiful woman planted you there! I want so much to die of her But I don't want to forget her!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2022 by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
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Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Séverin Faust (1872 - 1945), as Camille Mauclair, "Le Couteau", subtitle: "(Populaire)", written 1904, appears in Le Sang parle, in 3. Lieds, no. 24, Paris, Éd. Maison du Livre, first published 1904
This text was added to the website: 2022-06-23
Line count: 16
Word count: 98