Du Thrace magique, ô délire! Mes doigts sûrs font sonner la lyre. Les animaux passent aux sons De ma tortue, de mes chansons.
Le bestiaire bis
Song Cycle by Alain Corbellari (b. 1967)
1. La Tortue  [sung text not yet checked]
Text Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki (1880 - 1918), as Guillaume Apollinaire, "La Tortue", appears in Le Bestiaire, ou Cortège d'Orphée, no. 2, first published 1908
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Peter Low) , "The Turtle", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
First published in the revue La Phalange, no. 24, June 15, 1908, in La Marchande des quatre saisons ou le bestiaire mondain, no. 2 of 18.
Research team for this page: Ted Perry , Peter Low [Guest Editor]
2. Les Sirènes  [sung text not yet checked]
Sachè-je d'où provient, Sirènes, votre ennui Quand vous vous lamentez, au large, dans la nuit ? Mer, je suis, comme toi, plein de voix machinées Et mes vaisseaux chantants se nomment les années.
Text Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki (1880 - 1918), as Guillaume Apollinaire, "Les sirènes", written 1910, appears in Le Bestiaire, ou Cortège d'Orphée, no. 25, first published 1911
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
3. Le Serpent  [sung text not yet checked]
Tu t'acharnes sur la beauté. Et quelles femmes ont été Victimes de ta cruauté! Eve, Eurydice, Cléopâtre ; J'en connais encor trois ou quatre.
Text Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki (1880 - 1918), as Guillaume Apollinaire, "Le Serpent", written 1910, appears in Le Bestiaire, ou Cortège d'Orphée, no. 5, first published 1911
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "The serpent", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
4. Le Poulpe  [sung text not yet checked]
Jetant son encre vers les cieux, Suçant le sang de ce qu'il aime Et le trouvant délicieux, Ce monstre inhumain, c'est moi-même.
Text Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki (1880 - 1918), as Guillaume Apollinaire, "Le Poulpe", appears in Le Bestiaire, ou Cortège d'Orphée, no. 20, first published 1911
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Peter Low) , "The Octopus", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
5. La mouche  [sung text not yet checked]
Nos mouches savent des chansons Que leur apprirent en Norvège Les mouches ganiques qui sont Les divinités de la neige.
Text Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki (1880 - 1918), as Guillaume Apollinaire, "La mouche", appears in Le Bestiaire, ou Cortège d'Orphée, no. 15, first published 1911
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "The Fly", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
6. Ibis  [sung text not yet checked]
Oui, j'irai dans l'ombre terreuse Ô mort certaine, ainsi soit-il ! Latin mortel, parole affreuse, Ibis, oiseau des bords du Nil.
Text Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki (1880 - 1918), as Guillaume Apollinaire, "Ibis", written 1908, appears in Le Bestiaire, ou Cortège d'Orphée, no. 29, first published 1911
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) (Qi Feng Wu) , "Ibis", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Notes provided by Laura Prichard and Qi Feng Wu: the Underworld is where the Shades, or spirits of the Dead, dwell in Classical Mythology. Ibises were sometimes mummified and buried with the dead, and depicted in Egyptian tomb paintings.
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
7. Le Lion  [sung text not yet checked]
Ô lion, malheureuse image Des rois chus lamentablement, Tu ne nais maintenant qu'en cage À Hambourg, chez les Allemands.
Text Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki (1880 - 1918), as Guillaume Apollinaire, "Le Lion", appears in Le Bestiaire, ou Cortège d'Orphée, no. 7, first published 1908
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) (Qi Feng Wu) , "The Lion", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
First published in the revue La Phalange, no. 24, June 15, 1908 as number 6 of "La Marchande des quatre saisons ou le bestiaire mondain" (a collection of 18 poems), and later in Le Bestiaire ou Cortège d'Orphée (1911).
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
8. Le Chat  [sung text not yet checked]
Je souhaite dans ma maison : Une femme ayant sa raison, Un chat passant parmi les livres, Des amis en toute saison Sans lesquels je ne peux pas vivre.
Text Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki (1880 - 1918), as Guillaume Apollinaire, "Le Chat", appears in Le Bestiaire, ou Cortège d'Orphée, no. 6, first published 1911
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Peter Low) , "The Cat", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
9. Le Paon  [sung text not yet checked]
En faisant la roue, cet oiseau, Dont le pennage traîne à terre, Apparaît encore plus beau, Mais se découvre le derrière.
Text Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki (1880 - 1918), as Guillaume Apollinaire, "Le Paon", appears in Le Bestiaire, ou Cortège d'Orphée, no. 27, first published 1908
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Peter Low) , "The Peacock", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
First published in the revue La Phalange, no. 24, June 15, 1908 as number 15 of "La Marchande des quatre saisons ou le bestiaire mondain" (a collection of 18 poems), and later in Le Bestiaire ou Cortège d'Orphée (1911).
Research team for this page: Ted Perry , Peter Low [Guest Editor]
10. Le Hibou  [sung text not yet checked]
Mon pauvre cœur est un hibou Qu'on cloue, qu'on décloue, qu'on recloue. De sang, d'ardeur, il est à bout. Tous ceux qui m'aiment, je les loue.
Text Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki (1880 - 1918), as Guillaume Apollinaire, "Le Hibou", appears in Le Bestiaire, ou Cortège d'Orphée, no. 28, first published 1908
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Peter Low) , "The Owl", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
First published in the revue La Phalange, no. 24, June 15, 1908 as number 16 of "La Marchande des quatre saisons ou le bestiaire mondain" (a collection of 18 poems), and later in Le Bestiaire ou Cortège d'Orphée (1911).
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry