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Toi qu'empourprait l'âtre d'hiver
Comme une rouge nue
Où déjà te dessinait nue
L'arôme de ta chair ;
Ni vous, dont l'image ancienne
Captive encor mon cœur,
Ile voilée, ombres en fleurs,
Nuit océanienne ;
Non plus ton parfum, violier
Sous la main qui t'arrose,
Ne valent la brûlante rose
Que midi fait plier.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Paul-Jean Toulet, Les contrerimes, Paris: Emile-Paul Frères, 1923, page 12.
Text Authorship:
- by Paul-Jean Toulet (1867 - 1920), no title, appears in Les Contrerimes, in Contrerimes, no. 2, Paris, Éd. Le Divan, first published 1921 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Louis Beydts (1896 - 1953), "Toi qu'empourprait l'âtre d'hiver", published 1946 [ medium voice and piano or orchestra ], from d’Ombre et de soleil, no. 2, Éd. Durand [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jacques Leguerney (1906 - 1997), "Toi qu'empourprait l'âtre", 1943 [ voice and piano ], from Dix Poèmes de Paul-Jean Toulet, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Grant Hicks [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2011-06-03
Line count: 12
Word count: 52
Not you, ruby-tinted by Winter's hearth
Like a ruddy cloud
Where already you were sketched nude
By the scent of your flesh;
Nor you, whose ancient image
Still captivates my heart,
Veiled island, flowered shadows,
Oceanian night;
Nor yet your perfume, gilliflower
Beneath the hand that waters you,
Are worth the fiery rose
That bows at noon's command.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"Toi qu'empourprait l'âtre" = "You, ruby-tinted by the hearth"
"Toi qu'empourprait l'âtre d'hiver" = "You, ruby-tinted by Winter's hearth"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2026 by Grant Hicks, (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 Paul-Jean Toulet (1867 - 1920), no title, appears in Les Contrerimes, in Contrerimes, no. 2, Paris, Éd. Le Divan, first published 1921
This text was added to the website: 2026-02-01
Line count: 12
Word count: 58