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Trois poèmes de Verlaine

Song Cycle by Willem Frederik Bon (1940 - 1983)

1. Le ciel est, par‑dessus le toit
 (Sung text)

Language: French (Français) 
Le ciel est, par-dessus le toit,
  Si bleu, si calme !
Un arbre, par-dessus le toit,
  Berce sa palme.

La cloche, dans le ciel qu'on voit,
  Doucement tinte.
Un oiseau sur l'arbre qu'on voit
  Chante sa plainte.

Mon Dieu, mon Dieu, la vie est là
  Simple et tranquille.
Cette paisible rumeur-là
  Vient de la ville.

Qu'as-tu fait, ô toi que voilà
  Pleurant sans cesse,
Dis, qu'as-tu fait, toi que voilà,
  De ta jeunesse ?

Text Authorship:

  • by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), no title, written 1880, appears in Sagesse, in Sagesse III, no. 6, Paris, Société générale de Librairie Catholique, first published 1881

See other settings of this text.

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • CHI Chinese (中文) (Yen-Chiang Che) , "監禁", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • CHI Chinese (中文) [singable] (Dr Huaixing Wang) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Vrchlický) , "Píseň"
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , no title, copyright © 2016
  • ENG English (Ernest Christopher Dowson) , no title, appears in Decorations, in After Paul Verlaine, no. 4
  • ENG English (Amy Pfrimmer) , copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Il cielo, lassù oltre il tetto", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (José Miguel Llata) , "Desde la prisión", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Ted Perry

2. La lune blanche  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: French (Français) 
La lune blanche 
Luit dans les bois ;
De chaque branche 
Part une voix 
Sous la ramée...

Ô bien aimée.

L'étang reflète,
Profond miroir,
La silhouette
Du saule noir
Où le vent pleure...

Rêvons, c'est l'heure.

Un vaste et tendre
Apaisement
Semble descendre
Du firmament
Que l'astre irise...

C'est l'heure exquise.

Text Authorship:

  • by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), no title, appears in La bonne chanson, no. 6, first published 1870

See other settings of this text.

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Vrchlický) , "Píseň"
  • ENG English (Grant A. Lewis) , "The white moon", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Charles Hopkins) , "The Moment of Ecstasy", written 2002, first published 2002, copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Charles Hopkins) , written c2005, copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Kalpea kuu ", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Pierre Mathé) , "Der weiße Mond", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Elaine Marie Ortiz-Arandes) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Michel Dimitri Calvocoressi) , no title
  • GRE Greek (Ελληνικά) [singable] (Christakis Poumbouris) , "Λευκή σελήνη", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Tamás Rédey) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Árpád Tóth) , "La lune blanche"
  • HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Dezső Kosztolányi) , "Fehér hold"
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "La luna bianca", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , "La hora exquisita", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Alberto Bonati) , "La luna blanca", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

3. Le clown
 (Sung text)

Language: French (Français) 
Bobèche, adieu ! bonsoir, Paillasse ! arrière, Gille ! 
Place, bouffons vieillis, au parfait plaisantin,
Place ! très grave, très discret et très hautain,
Voici venir le maître à tous, le clown agile. 

Plus souple qu'Arlequin et plus brave qu'Achille,
C'est bien lui, dans sa blanche armure de satin;
Vides et clairs ainsi que des miroirs sans tain,
Ses yeux ne vivent pas dans son masque d'argile. 

Ils luisent bleus parmi le fard et les onguents,
Cependant que la tête et le buste, élégants,
Se balancent sur l'arc paradoxal des jambes. 

Puis il sourit. Autour le peuple bête et laid,
La canaille puante et sainte des Iambes,
Acclame l'histrion sinistre qui la hait.

Text Authorship:

  • by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "Le clown", written 1867, appears in Jadis et naguère, in Jadis, in Sonnets et autres vers, no. 8, first published 1867

See other settings of this text.

First published in the revue Le Hanneton, July 25, 1867, and then included in 1884 in Jadis et naguère.


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Total word count: 231
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