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Des bons vieux airs très connus Marquant la cadence, Avec des gestes menus La fillette danse. Elle va, vient, en sautant Toujours avec grâce, Et ce jeu nouveau pourtant Point ne l'embarrasse. Son pied sur le clair parquet Glisse ou se dérobe, Et son petit doigt coquet Relève sa robe. Cinq ans! et pas de leçons! Mais c'est rusé, dame! Et ça vous a des façons De belle madame. Ça se cambre avec orgueil, Ça vous prend des poses, Et déjà, du coin de l'oeil, Ça vous dit des choses. Ça vous dit: "Regardez-moi! Tourner et sourire; Je suis charmante et, ma foi! J'aime qu'on m'admire! "J'aime qu'on remarque aussi Mon beau teint d'aurore; Mon front blanc que nul souci Ne ternit encore; "Ma chevelure en or fin Qui mousse et rayonne. J'aime qu'on admire enfin Toute ma personne!" Et ce petit rien de rien, Veut, du fond de l'âme, Que chacun "la trouve bien!" Ô fillette! Ô femme!
Text Authorship:
- by Jacques Clary Jean Normand (1848 - 1931) [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 Jules Massenet (1842 - 1912), "Première danse", 1899, published 1899. [voice and piano] [text verified 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , title 1: "First dance", copyright © 2004, (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: 36
Word count: 159
Marking time to the good old familiar tunes, the little girl dances with slender gestures. Leaping hither and thither, always graceful, and yet unembarrassed by this new game. Her foot slides or flees over the pale parquet. Her little finger coyly lifts the hem of her dress. Five years old! And no lessons! How clever! How much the little lady! Proudly she arches her back and poses for you, and says things from the corner of her eye. "Look at me," says she. "Watch me turn and smile. I'm charming, and how I love to be admired! I like it when people notice my dawny-pink skin, my white brow, as yet unclouded by care, my gleaming clouds of spun-gold hair. I love it when people admire all of me." And this little snip, from the depths of her soul, wants everybody "to think she's pretty". Oh, little girl! Oh, woman!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2004 by Faith J. Cormier, (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 Jacques Clary Jean Normand (1848 - 1931)
This text was added to the website: 2004-11-10
Line count: 36
Word count: 150