by
André Alexandre (1860 - 1928)
Celle que je préfère
Language: French (Français)
J’aime la petite jonquille
à l’ample et soyeux kimono ;
Elle marchande elle babille
Dans les magasins de Yeddo.
Et j’aime aussi mademoiselle
Rayon d’or de Nagasaki
Dès l’aube par sa man fidèle
l’autel de Boudha est fleurie.
Mais entre toute je préfère
Une Geisha de Tokio
Elle se nomme Primevère
Et sautille comme un oiseau.
Aux rythmes légers de sa danse
mon coeur tressaille et s’adoucit
Elle entraine dans sa cadence
Les papillons de mon esprit.
Jonquille, ne soit pas jalouse !
Rayon d’or, Oh ! ne pleure pas
Je m’en vais prendre pour épouse
Primevère, Fleur des Geishas.
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 (Garrett Medlock) , "The one whom I prefer", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust
[Administrator] , Garrett Medlock
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2019-01-14
Line count: 20
Word count: 97
The one whom I prefer
Language: English after the French (Français)
I love the little daffodil
in the loose and silky kimono;
She haggles, she chatters
In the shops of Edo.
And I love also miss
Golden ray of Nagasaki,
Since the dawn by her faithful hand
the altar of Buddha [has been] covered with flowers.
But among all [of them] I prefer
A geisha from Tokyo,
Her name is Primrose
And she hops like a bird.
To the light rhythms of her dance
my heart trembles and softens,
She [engenders] in her step
The butterflies of my spirit.
Daffodil, do not be jealous!
Golden ray, oh! do not cry,
I am going to take for [a] wife
Primrose, flower of the geishas.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2019 by Garrett Medlock, (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:
This text was added to the website: 2019-01-14
Line count: 20
Word count: 112
