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Tu pupila es azul, y cuando ríes, Su claridad süave me recuerda El trémulo fulgor de la mañana Que en el mar se refleja. Tu pupila es azul, y cuando lloras, Las [trasparentes]1 lágrimas en ella Se me figuran gotas de rocío Sobre una violeta. Tu pupila es azul, y si en su fondo, Como un punto de luz radia una idea, Me parece en el cielo de la tarde ¡Una perdida estrella!
About the headline (FAQ)
View text without footnotesConfirmed with Obras de Gustavo A. Bécquer, tomo segundo, Rimas, Madrid: Imprenta de T. Fortanet, 1871, page 264.
Note: inspired by Byron's I saw thee weep; sometimes given the title "Imitación de Byron"
1 J. Turina: "transparentes" Notes: Spelling variants in first publicationThe spelling variant "ries" in line 1 has been changed to "ríes".
The spelling variant "süave" in line 2 has been preserved to indicate the poetic diaeresis pronunciation.
The spelling variant "rádia" in line 12 has been changed to "radia".
Text Authorship:
- by Adolfo Bécquer (1836 - 1870), no title, appears in Rimas, no. 13, Madrid, Imprenta de T. Fortanet, first published 1871 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Joaquín Turina (1882 - 1949), "Tu pupila es azul", op. 81 no. 2 (1933), published 1935 [ soprano and piano ], from Tres poemas, no. 2, Madrid : UME [sung text checked 2 times]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura Claycomb) , "Your eye is blue", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Tes yeux sont bleus", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Dein Augenstern ist blau", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , John Versmoren , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 75
Tes yeux sont bleus et quand tu ris Leur douce clarté me rappelle La lueur tremblante de l'aube Qui se reflète dans la mer. Tes yeux sont bleus et quand tu pleures Les larmes transparentes en eux M'apparaissent comme des gouttes de rosée Sur une violette. Tes yeux sont bleus et si au fond d'eux Une pensée brille comme un point de lumière, Il me semble voir dans le ciel du soir Une étoile perdue !
Text Authorship:
- Translation from Spanish (Español) to French (Français) copyright © 2017 by Guy Laffaille, (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 Spanish (Español) by Adolfo Bécquer (1836 - 1870), no title, appears in Rimas, no. 13, Madrid, Imprenta de T. Fortanet, first published 1871
This text was added to the website: 2017-10-13
Line count: 12
Word count: 75