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Là bas, sur la mer, comme l’hirondelle, Je voudrais m’enfuir, et plus loin encor ! Mais j’ai beau vouloir, puisque la cruelle A lié mon cœur avec trois fils d’or ! L’un est son regard, l’autre, son sourire, Le troisième, enfin, est sa lèvre en fleur ; Mais je l’aime trop, c’est un vrai martyre : Avec trois fils d’or elle a pris mon cœur ! Oh ! si je pouvais dénouer ma chaîne ! Adieu, pleurs, tourments ; je prendrais l’essor, Mais non, non ! mieux vaut mourir à la peine Que de vous briser, ô mes trois fils d’or !
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle (1818 - 1894), "Tre fila d'oro", written 1854, appears in Poèmes et poésies, Paris, Éd. Dentu, first published 1855 [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 Paul d'Estribaud (1828 - 1911), "Les Trois Fils d'or", 1855 [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. Meissonnier fils [sung text not yet checked]
- by Octave Fouque (1844 - 1883), "Tre fila d'oro", subtitle: "Les trois fils d'or (sicilienne)", 1882, published [1882] [ medium voice and piano ], Éd. Heugel et Fils [sung text not yet checked]
- by Armand Gouzien (1839 - 1892), "Les Trois fils d'or", published 1867? [ high voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. 'Au Ménestrel' Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Emanuel Moór (1863 - 1931), "Les trois fils d'or", op. 111 no. 1, published 1910 [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. Littéraires et Musicales A. Z. Mathot [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean-Baptiste Théodore Weckerlin (1821 - 1910), "Les trois fils d'or", published [1873] [ voice and piano ], from L'Inde, Ode-symphonie en deux parties, no. 3, Paris, Éd. 'Au Ménestrel' Heugel et Cie. [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2017-02-18
Line count: 12
Word count: 92
Over there, across the sea, like the swallow, I wish I could flee, and farther still! But I wish in vain, because the cruel one Has bound my heart with three golden threads! One is her gaze, another, her smile, The third, at last, is her lips in bloom; But I love her too much, like a true martyr: With three golden threads she has ensnared my heart! Oh! if only I could undo my chain! Farewell, tears, torments; I would take flight. But no, no! better to die in the attempt, Than to break you, O my three golden threads!
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"Les Trois fils d'or" = "The Three Golden Threads"
"Tre fila d'oro" = "Three Golden Threads"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2025 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 Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle (1818 - 1894), "Tre fila d'oro", written 1854, appears in Poèmes et poésies, Paris, Éd. Dentu, first published 1855
This text was added to the website: 2025-08-26
Line count: 12
Word count: 101