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.
If you wish to reprint translations, please use the Reprint Basket (upper right hand corner).
Reminder: You must always use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
Il est doux de se coucher, durant la chaleur, sous un arbre touffu, et d'attendre que le vent du soir amène la fraîcheur. Femmes, approchez. Tandis que je me repose ici sous un arbre touffu, occupez mon oreille par vos accents prolongés. Répétez la chanson de la jeune fille, lorsque ses doigts tressent la natte, ou lorsqu'assise auprès du riz, elle chasse les oiseaux avides. Le chant plaît à mon âme. La danse est pour moi presque aussi douce qu'un baiser. Que vos pas soient lents ; qu'ils imitent les attitudes du plaisir et l'abandon de la volupté. Le vent du soir se lève ; la lune commence à briller au travers des arbres de la montagne. Allez, et préparez le repas.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Évariste de Parny, Chansons madécasses, chez Hardouin et Gattey, 1787, pages 19-20. Note: this is a prose text. We have added line-breaks.
Text Authorship:
- by Évariste Desiré de Forges, vicomte de Parny (1753 - 1814), "Chanson VIII", appears in Chansons madécasses, no. 8 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Malagasy by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [text unavailable]
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 Ravel (1875 - 1937), "Il est doux", M. 78 no. 3 (1925-1926), published 1926 [ voice and piano ], from Chansons madécasses, no. 3, Éd. Durand [sung text checked 2 times]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Peter Low) , no title, copyright © 2002, (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: 16
Word count: 120
Que dolç és estirar-se, quan fa calor, sota un arbre frondós, i esperar que la brisa del vespre porti la fresca. Dones, acosteu-vos. Mentre reposo aquí sota un arbre frondós, ompliu les meves orelles amb els vostres sons sostinguts. Repetiu la cançó de la donzella, quan els seus dits entrellacen la trena,o quan asseguda prop de l’arrossar, fa fora els goluts ocells. La cançó delecta la meva ànima. La dansa és per a mi gairebé tan dolça com un bes. Feu que els vostres passos siguin lents; que imitin les postures del plaer i l'abandonament de la voluptat. La brisa vespertina s'aixeca; la lluna comença a brillar a través dels arbres de la muntanya. Aneu, i prepareu el menjar.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"Chanson VIII" = "Cançó VIII"
"Il est doux" = "Que dolç és"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to Catalan (Català) copyright © 2026 by Salvador Pila, (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 Évariste Desiré de Forges, vicomte de Parny (1753 - 1814), "Chanson VIII", appears in Chansons madécasses, no. 8
Based on:
- a text in Malagasy by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [text unavailable]
This text was added to the website: 2026-06-06
Line count: 16
Word count: 119