Le Bestiaire (alpha) ou cortège d'Orphée

by Robert Cornman (1924 - 2008)

1. Le Serpent [sung text not yet checked]

Language: French (Français)

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

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

2. Le Chat [sung text not yet checked]

Language: French (Français)

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

Researcher for this page: Ted Perry

3. Le Dromadaire [sung text not yet checked]

Language: French (Français)

Avec ses quatre dromadaires
Don Pedro d'Alfaroubeira
Courut le monde et l'admira.
Il fit ce que je voudrais faire
Si j'avais quatre dromadaires.

Text Authorship:

by Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki (1880 - 1918), as Guillaume Apollinaire, "Le Dromadaire", written 1908, appears in Le Bestiaire, ou Cortège d'Orphée, no. 10, first published 1908

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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Michael P Rosewall) , "The dromedary", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Das Dromedar", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Paolo Montanari) , "Il dromedario", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

First published in the revue La Phalange, no. 24, June 15, 1908, no. 9 in La Marchande des quatre saisons ou le bestiaire mondain

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

4. La Chenille [sung text not yet checked]

Language: French (Français)

Le travail mène à la richesse, 
Pauvres poètes, travaillons ! 
Le chenille en peinant sans cesse 
Devient le riche papillon.

Text Authorship:

by Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki (1880 - 1918), as Guillaume Apollinaire, "La Chenille", appears in Le Bestiaire, ou Cortège d'Orphée, no. 14, first published 1908

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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Peter Low) , "The Caterpillar", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

First published in the revue La Phalange, no. 24, June 15, 1908 as number 11 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

5. Le Poulpe [sung text not yet checked]

Language: French (Français)

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

Researcher for this page: Ted Perry

6. La Méduse [sung text not yet checked]

Language: French (Français)

Méduses, malheureuses têtes 
Aux chevelures violettes 
Vous vous plaisez dans les tempêtes, 
Et je m'y plais comme vous faites.

Text Authorship:

by Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki (1880 - 1918), as Guillaume Apollinaire, "La Méduse", appears in Le Bestiaire, ou Cortège d'Orphée, no. 21, first published 1911

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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Peter Low) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Ted Perry

7. L'Écrevisse [sung text not yet checked]

Language: French (Français)

Incertitude, ô mes délices 
Vous et moi nous nous en allons 
Comme s'en vont les écrevisses, 
À reculons, à reculons.

Text Authorship:

by Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki (1880 - 1918), as Guillaume Apollinaire, "L'Écrevisse", written 1910, appears in Le Bestiaire, ou Cortège d'Orphée, no. 22, first published 1911

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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Michael P Rosewall) , "The crawfish", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Der Krebs", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Paolo Montanari) , "Il gambero", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

8. Orphée [sung text not yet checked]

Language: French (Français)

La femelle de l'alcyon, 
L'Amour, les volantes Sirènes, 
Savent de mortelles chansons 
Dangereuses et inhumaines. 
N'oyez pas ces oiseaux maudits, 
Mais les Anges du paradis.

Text Authorship:

by Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki (1880 - 1918), as Guillaume Apollinaire, "Orphée", appears in Le Bestiaire, ou Cortège d'Orphée, no. 24, first published 1911

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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

Notes provided by Laura Prichard:
Line 1 : Classical mythology included references to female kingfishers nesting by the sea; the practice was said to cause the Gods to restrain the wind and waves.
Apollonaire’s notes to his Bestiary state (Laura Prichard's translation): “The sailors, hearing the female king-fisher sing, prepared to die, except around mid-December, when these birds make their nests, and the sea was believed to be calm. As for Love and the Sirens, these marvelous birds sing so harmoniously that life itself is not too high a price to pay for the pleasure of hearing such music.”

Research team for this page: Ted Perry , Laura Prichard [Guest Editor]

9. Le Paon [sung text not yet checked]

Language: French (Français)

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):

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]

Language: French (Français)

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):

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

Total word count: 226