La femelle de l'alcyon
Language: French (Français)
La femelle de l'alcyon,
L'Amour, les volantes Sirènes,
Savent de mortelles chansons
Dangereuses et inhumaines.
N'oyez pas ces oiseaux maudits,
Mais les Anges du paradis.
About the headline (FAQ)
Notes provided by Laura Prichard:
Line 1 : Classical mythology included references to female kingfishers nesting by the sea; the practice was said to cause the Gods to restrain the wind and waves.
Apollonaire’s notes to his Bestiary state (Laura Prichard's translation): “The sailors, hearing the female king-fisher sing, prepared to die, except around mid-December, when these birds make their nests, and the sea was believed to be calm. As for Love and the Sirens, these marvelous birds sing so harmoniously that life itself is not too high a price to pay for the pleasure of hearing such music.”
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 Claude Ballif (1924 - 2004), "Orphée IV", op. 1b no. 24 (1945-48), published 1994 [ voice and piano ], from Le Cortège d’Orphée, no. 24, Édition Durand & Fils [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Cornman (1924 - 2008), "Orphée", 1961-1963 [ medium voice and piano ], from Le Bestiaire (alpha) ou cortège d'Orphée, no. 8 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis Durey (1888 - 1979), "Orphée", op. 17a no. 24 (1919), from Le Bestiaire, no. 24 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Ted Perry , Laura Prichard
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 6
Word count: 25
The female kingfisher
Language: English after the French (Français)
The female kingfisher,
Love, [and] the winged Sirens,
Know deadly songs,
Dangerous and inhuman.
Don’t listen to those cursed birds,
But instead, the angels of paradise.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2023 by Laura Prichard, (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: 2023-08-25
Line count: 6
Word count: 26
