Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
Ange plein de gaieté, connaissez-vous l'angoisse, La honte, les remords, les [sanglots]1, les ennuis, Et les vagues terreurs de ces affreuses nuits Qui compriment le cœur comme un papier qu'on froisse ? Ange plein de gaieté, connaissez-vous l'angoisse ? Ange plein de bonté, connaissez-vous la haine, Les poings crispés dans l'ombre, et les larmes de fiel, Quand la Vengeance bat son infernal rappel, Et de nos facultés se fait le capitaine ? Ange plein de bonté, connaissez-vous la haine ? Ange plein de santé, connaissez-vous les Fièvres, Qui, le long des grands murs de l'hospice blafard, Comme des exilés, s'en vont d'un pied traînard, Cherchant le soleil rare, et remuant les lèvres ? Ange plein de santé, connaissez-vous les Fièvres ? Ange plein de beauté, connaissez-vous les rides, Et la peur de vieillir, et ce hideux tourment De lire la secrète horreur du dévouement Dans [des]2 yeux où longtemps burent nos yeux avides ? Ange plein de beauté, connaissez-vous les rides ? Ange plein de bonheur, de joie et de lumières, David mourant aurait demandé la santé Aux émanations de ton corps enchanté ! -- Mais de toi je n'implore, ange, que tes prières, Ange plein de bonheur, de joie et de lumières !
L. Vierne sets stanzas 1-2, 4-5
Confirmed with Revue des Deux Mondes, seconde série de la nouvelle période, tome dixième, Les Fleurs du mal, Paris: Bureau de la Revue des Deux Mondes, 1855, pages 1087-1088. Also confirmed with Les Fleurs du mal, Spleen et Idéal, Paris: Poulet-Malassis et de Broise, 1857, pages 94-95. Punctuation and formatting follows 1855 edition, with the exception of the spelling "gaîté" in lines 1 and 5, which has been changed to "gaieté".
First published in Revue des Deux Mondes, seconde série de la nouvelle période, tome dixième, 1855. Also appears in Les Fleurs du mal as number 40 in the 1857 edition and 44 or 45 in subsequent editions.
1 Vierne: "regrets"2 Vierne: "les"
Text Authorship:
- by Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867), "Réversibilité", appears in Les Fleurs du mal, in 1. Spleen et Idéal, no. 44, Paris, Bureau de la Revue des Deux Mondes, first published 1855 [author's text checked 3 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 Maurice Rollinat (1846 - 1903), "Réversibilité" [ voice and piano ], from Six Mélodies sur des poésies de Baudelaire, no. 5, Paris, Éd. Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis Vierne (1870 - 1937), "Réversibilité", op. 45 no. 2 (1921), published 1924, stanzas 1-2,4-5 [ voice and piano ], from Cinq Poèmes de Baudelaire, no. 2, Éd. Salabert (Maurice Sénart) [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Haasz) , "Zpětnost"
- ENG English (Corinne Orde) , "Reversibility", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Reversibilità", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Geoffrey Wieting , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 25
Word count: 196
Angelo di gaiezza pieno, conosci forse l'angoscia, la vergogna, i rimorsi, il tormento, i rimpianti e i terrori vaghi di quelle orribili notti che opprimono il cuore che come carta s'affloscia? Angelo di gaiezza pieno, conosci forse l'angoscia? Angelo di bontà pieno, conosci forse il rancore, I pugni stretti nell'ombra e le lacrime di fiele, quando Vendetta batte il suo richiamo infernale e di ogni nostro pensiero diventa signore? Angelo di bontà pieno, conosci forse il rancore? Angelo di salute pieno, conosci forse le Febbri, di chi lungo gli alti muri di uno squallido ospizio incede e come un esiliato vaga trascinando il piede cercando il raro sole e movendo appena le labbra? Angelo di salute pieno, conosci forse le Febbri? Angelo di bellezza pieno, conosci forse le rughe, la paura degli anni e il tormentoso disgusto di leggere la compassione e il suo orrore nascosto in quegli occhi dove i nostri bevvero avidi a lungo? Angelo di bellezza pieno, conosci forse le rughe? Angelo di felicità pieno, e di gioia e splendore Davide morente avrebbe chiesto aiuto Alle emanazioni magiche del tuo corpo incantato; Io da te imploro, mio angelo, solamente preghiere Angelo di felicità pieno, e di gioia e splendore!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2008 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (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 Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867), "Réversibilité", appears in Les Fleurs du mal, in 1. Spleen et Idéal, no. 44, Paris, Bureau de la Revue des Deux Mondes, first published 1855
This text was added to the website: 2008-06-01
Line count: 25
Word count: 202