Waves conversing | Here's what an old chant says

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by Jean Richepin (1849 - 1926)

Translation © by Peter Low

Causeries de vagues

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Voici ce que chante un vieux chant !
Les vagues parlent en marchant.

L'une dit à l'autre : Ma sœur,
Pour nous la vie est sans douceur.

Vois combien vite en est le cours ! 
A court passage, plaisirs courts ! 

Mais l'autre lui répond : Ma sœur,
Sa breveté fait sa douceur.

A longue existence, longs soins !
Et vivre peu, c'est souffrir moins.

Text Authorship:

by Jean Richepin (1849 - 1926), "Causeries de vagues", appears in La Mer, in 6. Étant de quart, no. 26, Paris, Maurice Dreyfous, first published 1886 [author's text checked 1 time 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 Marie Jaëll (1846 - 1925), "Causeries de vagues", published 1893 [ voice and piano ], from La Mer, poème de Jean Richepin, no. 2, Paris, Éditions Paul Dupont [sung text not yet checked]
by Klaus Miehling (b. 1963), "Causeries de vagues", op. 89 no. 5 (2002) [ voice and piano ], from Sechs Lieder nach Texten von Jean Richepin, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Peter Low) , "Waves conversing", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2012-05-02
Line count: 10
Word count: 59

Waves conversing

Language: English after the French (Français)

Here's what an old chant says:
the waves talk as they move.

One tells the other: "My sister,
for us life has no sweetness.

See how rapid its course is!
Its passage is short, its pleasures are too!"

But the other replies: "My sister,
its brevity makes its sweetness.

Long life means extended woes !
And living little means suffering less."

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2025 by Peter Low, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Jean Richepin (1849 - 1926), "Causeries de vagues", appears in La Mer, in 6. Étant de quart, no. 26, Paris, Maurice Dreyfous, first published 1886
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-09-08
Line count: 10
Word count: 60