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Douce plage où naquit mon âme ;
Et toi, savane en fleurs
Que l'Océan trempe de pleurs
Et le soleil de flamme ;
Douce aux ramiers, douce aux amants,
Toi de qui la ramure
Nous charmait d'ombre, et de murmure,
Et de roucoulements ;
Où j'écoute frémir encore
Un aveu tendre et fier —
Tandis qu'au loin riait la mer
Sur le corail sonore.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Paul-Jean Toulet, Les contrerimes, Paris: Emile-Paul Frères, 1923, page 58.
Text Authorship:
- by Paul-Jean Toulet (1867 - 1920), no title, appears in Les Contrerimes, in Contrerimes, no. 46, 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), "Douce plage où naquit mon âme ...", published 1946 [ high voice and piano or orchestra ], from d’Ombre et de soleil, no. 4, Éd. Durand [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jacques Leguerney (1906 - 1997), "Douce plage", 1943 [ voice and piano ], from Dix Poèmes de Paul-Jean Toulet, no. 5 [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: 61
Pleasant beach where my soul was born;
And you, flowered savannah,
That the ocean drenches with tears
And the sun with flame;
Pleasant to ringdoves, pleasant to lovers,
You whose branches
Enchanted us with shade, and murmuring,
And cooing;
Where still I hear trembling
A tender and proud confession —
While far away the sea laughed
Over the resonant coral.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"Douce plage" = "Pleasant Beach"
"Douce plage où naquit mon âme ..." = "Pleasant beach where my soul was born"
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. 46, Paris, Éd. Le Divan, first published 1921
This text was added to the website: 2026-01-30
Line count: 12
Word count: 60