by Catulle Mendès (1841 - 1909)
Translation © by Garrett Medlock

Noces dans l'or
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  ENG
Quand j’étais bergère, 
Bergère au hameau,
(La bergère est belle à voir),
Le prince m’a vue, 
Le prince qui passe 
Dans un bateau d’or 
Aux voiles de moire,
M’a prise pour femme 
Dans le bateau d’or.

Quand je fus princesse, 
Princesse au château,
(La princesse est belle à voir),
Le dauphin m’a vue, 
Le dauphin de France
Dont le palais d’or 
A des tours d’ivoire,
M’a prise pour femme 
Dans le palais d’or.

Lorsque je fus reine,
Reine en mon palais,
(Que la reine est belle à voir),
Le pape m’a vue
En disant la messe
Dans l’église d’or
Près du consistoire,
M’a prise pour femme
Dans l’église d’or.

Quand je fus papesse,
Papesse en l’église,
(La papesse est belle à voir),
Un ange m’a vue,
Un ange qui passe
Dans un rayon d’or
Pendant l’offertoire,
M’a prise pour femme
Dans le rayon d’or.

Lorsque je fus ange,
Ange en un rayon,
(Ah! Que l’ange est belle à voir),
Dieu le fils m’a vue,
Dieu le fils qui brille
Sur son trône d’or
En habits de gloire,
M’a prise pour femme
Sur le trône d’or.

Quand m’eut épousée
Dieu, notre seigneur,
(qu’un garçon de ferme est donc bel à voir),
J’ai vu sur la terre
Jean qui peine et sue
Et mêle aux blés d’or
Sa tignasse noire;
Me veux-tu pour femme,
Jean, dans les blés d’or?

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) , "Weddings amid the gold", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Garrett Medlock [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2019-01-18
Line count: 54
Word count: 227

Weddings amid the gold
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
When I was a shepherdess,
Shepherdess in the hamlet,
(The shepherdess is beautiful to see),
The prince saw me,
The prince who passes
In a boat of gold
With sails of moire,
Took me for a wife
In the boat of gold.

When I was a princess,
Princess at the castle, 
(The princess is beautiful to see),
The dauphin saw me,
The dauphin of France
Whose palace of gold
Had towers of ivory
Took me for a wife
In the palace of gold.

When I was a queen,
Queen in my palace,
(How the queen is beautiful to see),
The pope saw me
While saying mass,
In the church of gold
Near the consistory,
He took me for a wife
In the church of gold.

When I was a popess,
Popess in the church,
(The popess is beautiful to see),
An angel saw me,
An angel who passes
In a ray of gold
During the offertory,
Took me for a wife
In the ray of gold.

When I was [an] angel,
Angel in a ray,
(Ah! how the angel is beautiful to see),
God the Son saw me,
God the Son who shines
On his throne of gold
In clothes of glory,
Took me for a wife
On the throne of gold.

When God, our Lord
Married me,
(That a farm boy is then beautiful to see),
I saw on the earth
John who struggles and sweats
And mixes with the wheat of gold
His black mane of hair;
Do you want me for a wife,
John, in the wheat of gold?

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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This text was added to the website: 2019-01-14
Line count: 54
Word count: 262