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Le nègre mineur de l'azur que jamais pleuvoir ne mouille pâlit courbé dans la houille bleue et brute du soleil dur Case de l'oncle Tom, les rampes et les herses du théâtre jadis me firent voyager Loin de notre jardin de banlieue où l'averse fait fleurir l'Arcenciel aux couleurs sans danger.
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Text Authorship:
- by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963), no title, appears in Poésies 1917-1920, in Températures, no. 2, Éd. La Sirène, first published 1920 [author's text not yet checked 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 Arthur Honegger (1892 - 1955), "Le nègre", H. 51 no. 1 (1920), published 1924, from Six Poésies de Jean Cocteau, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 51
The little black one in the blue world which the rain never soaks, grows pale, bent over, down in the coal, made raw and insensible by the brutal sun Uncle Tom's cabin, seen past the railings and metal gates of theaters in days of yore, took me on a journey Far from our garden in the suburbs where the downpour makes bloom the Rainbow's colors, with no fear of danger.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translation of title "Le nègre" = "The black one"Translator's note for stanza 2, line 4 ("makes bloom"): half-rhyme of and reference to common phrase "fait pleurer" meaning "to make cry"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2024 by Laura Stanfield 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:
- a text in French (Français) by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963), no title, appears in Poésies 1917-1920, in Températures, no. 2, Éd. La Sirène, first published 1920
This text was added to the website: 2024-03-10
Line count: 8
Word count: 70