by
Stéphane Mallarmé (1842 - 1898)
Placet futile
Language: French (Français)
Our translations: CAT ENG FIN
Princesse ! à jalouser le destin d'une Hébé
Qui poind sur cette tasse au baiser de vos lèvres,
J'use mes feux mais n'ai rang discret que d'abbé
Et ne figurerai même nu sur le Sèvres.
Comme je ne suis pas ton bichon embarbé,
Ni la pastille ni du rouge, ni Jeux mièvres
Et que sur moi je sais ton regard clos tombé,
Blonde dont les coiffeurs divins sont des orfèvres !
Nommez-nous... toi de qui tant de ris framboisés
Se joignent en troupeau d'agneaux apprivoisés
Chez tous broutant les vœux et bêlant aux délires,
Nommez-nous... pour qu'Amour ailé d'un éventail
M'y peigne flûte aux doigts endormant ce bercail,
Princesse, nommez-nous berger de vos sourires.
Confirmed with Stéphane Mallarmé, Collected Poems and Other Verse, Oxford University Press, 2008, page 8.
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):
- by John Borstlap (b. 1950), "Placet futile", 1975, published 1977 [ medium voice and piano ], Amsterdam, Édition Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Claude Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918), "Placet futile", L. 135/(127) no. 2 (1913), published 1913 [ voice and piano ], from Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937), "Placet futile", M. 64 no. 2 (1913), published 1914 [ voice, 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, 2 violins, viola, cello, piano ], from Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé, no. 2, Paris, Durand [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Fútil súplica", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Nicolas Gounin) , "Futile Petition", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Tolkuton anomus", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust
[Administrator] , Nicolas Gounin
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 112
Fútil súplica
Language: Catalan (Català) after the French (Français)
Princesa! Gelosa del destí d’una Hebe
que es dreça en aquesta tassa al besar dels teus llavis,
jo consumeixo el meu ardor però només tinc el rang discret d’abat
i ni tan sols podria aparèixer nu a la porcellana de Sèvres.
Com que no sóc el teu gosset bigotut,
ni el pebet, ni el coloret, ni jocs amanerats,
i que sento el teu sorrut esguard caure sobre mi,
cabells rossos dels que els perruquers divins són orfebres!
Nomena’m... tu que tantes de tes rialles flairants de gerdor
s’apleguen en ramats com anyells amansits
a casa de tots brostejant desigs i belant fins el deliri,
nomena’m... per què Amor alat amb un ventall
m’hi pinti amb una flauta als dits fent dormir aquesta cleda,
princesa, nomena’m pastor dels teus somriures.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to Catalan (Català) copyright © 2016 by Salvador Pila, (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 Stéphane Mallarmé (1842 - 1898), "Placet futile", first published 1897
This text was added to the website: 2016-04-29
Line count: 14
Word count: 129
