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Hélas ! que nous oublions vite ... J'y songeais hier en trouvant Une petite lettre écrite Lorsque je n'étais qu'une enfant. Je lus jusqu'à la signature Sans ressentir le moindre émoi, Sans reconnaître l'écriture, Et sans voir qu'elle était de moi. En vain je voulus la relire, Me rappeler, faire un effort ... J'ai pu penser cela, l'écrire, Mais le souvenir en est mort. Ô la pauvre naïve lettre, Ecrite encor si gauchement ... Mais j'y songe, c'était peut-être Ma première, -- un événement ! Jadis, à ma mère ravie Je l'ai montrée en triomphant... Est-il possible qu'on oublie Sa première lettre d'enfant !... Et puis le temps vient où l'on aime, Et l'on écrit ... et puis un jour, Un jour on l'oubliera de même, Sa première lettre d'amour !
Confirmed with Rosemonde Gérard, Les Pipeaux, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, 1889, pages 101-102.
Text Authorship:
- by Louise-Rose Gérard (1866 - 1953), as Rosemonde Gérard, "Ma première lettre", written 1889, appears in Les pipeaux, in 2. Petits poèmes, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1889 [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 Cécile Chaminade (1857 - 1944), "Ma première lettre", published 1893 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Ann Marie Wilcox-Daehn) , "My first letter", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: John Versmoren
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 122
Alas! How soon we forget It occurred to me yesterday when I found A small letter I wrote When I was a young girl. I read as far as the signature without feeling any emotion Without recognizing the writing. And without realizing it was mine. In vain I tried reading to remember, to make myself remember... I had been able to think and write it, But the memory was dead. Oh, what a poor, naïve letter written so clumsily. But when I think, perhaps it was my first important moment! Years ago I showed it to my delighted mother It was a triumphant moment. Is it possible that you can forget the first letter of childhood! And then come time for your love And you write and then one day, One day you forget that also, The first letter of love.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2012 by Ann Marie Wilcox-Daehn, (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 Louise-Rose Gérard (1866 - 1953), as Rosemonde Gérard, "Ma première lettre", written 1889, appears in Les pipeaux, in 2. Petits poèmes, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1889
This text was added to the website: 2013-01-26
Line count: 24
Word count: 141