by
Maurice Magre (1877 - 1941)
Tu m'as donné un coussin de soie
Language: French (Français)
Tu m'as donné un coussin de soie,
Un brûle-parfums d'un art persan;
Tu m'as donné ton rire et ta joie,
Ta peau jeune où court ton sang.
Tu m'as donné tes jours de vacances,
Des larmes d'adieu en me quittant,
Des lettres d'amour sans innocence,
Des portraits compremetants,
Tu m'as donné tes bouquets de roses,
Ton long corps blond sur mon lit défait
Je suis confus de toutes ces choses,
Accablé de tes bienfaits.
O chère enfant, généreuse et folle,
Tu m'as tout donné, je le sais bien,
Sauf la toute petite parole
Qui m'aurait fait tant de bien!
About the headline (FAQ)
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 most beautiful gift", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 99
The most beautiful gift
Language: English after the French (Français)
You gave me a cushion of silk,
A perfume vaporizer of a Persian art;
You gave me your laughter and your joy,
Your young skin where runs your blood.
You gave me your holidays,
Farewell tears at leaving me,
Love letters without innocence,
Compromising portraits.
You gave me your bouquets of roses,
Your long blonde body on my untidy bed;
I am flustered [by] all these things,
Overwhelmed [by] your [kind deeds].
Oh dear child, generous and mad,
You gave me everything, I know well,
Except the tiny word
Which would have done me so much good!
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:
- a text in French (Français) by Maurice Magre (1877 - 1941), no title, written 1913, appears in Les belles de nuit, Paris, Éd. Fasquelle, first published 1913
This text was added to the website: 2019-02-21
Line count: 16
Word count: 97
