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Fêtes Galantes I

Song Cycle by Claude Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918)

Translated to:

English — Gallant festivities
Italian (Italiano) — Festivities gallant
German (Deutsch) — Galante Feste I (Bertram Kottmann)

1. En sourdine
 (Sung text)

Language: French (Français) 
Calmes dans le demi-jour
Que les branches hautes font,
Pénétrons bien notre amour
De ce silence profond.

Fondons nos âmes, nos cœurs
Et nos sens extasiés,
Parmi les vagues langueurs
Des pins et des arbousiers.

Ferme tes yeux à demi,
Croise tes bras sur ton sein,
Et de ton cœur endormi
Chasse à jamais tout dessein.

Laissons-nous persuader
Au souffle berceur et doux,
Qui vient à tes pieds rider
Les ondes des gazons roux.

Et quand, solennel, le soir
Des chênes noirs tombera,
Voix de notre désespoir,
Le rossignol chantera.

Text Authorship:

  • by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "En sourdine", written 1868, appears in Fêtes galantes, no. 21, first published 1868

See other settings of this text.

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Anna Brull Piñol) , "Calms, dins el capvespre", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • CAT Catalan (Català) [singable] (Núria Colomer) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Muted", copyright ©
  • ENG English (Laura Claycomb) (Peter Grunberg) , "Muted", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Elaine Marie Ortiz-Arandes) (Julie Nezami-Tavi) , copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Gedämpften Tons", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GRE Greek (Ελληνικά) [singable] (Christakis Poumbouris) , "Απαλή αγάπη", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Pablo Sabat) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , "En voz baja", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Note: The ampersands (&) as appear in the first publication are changed to "et".

Research team for this page: Didier Pelat , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]

2. Fantoches
 (Sung text)

Language: French (Français) 
Scaramouche et Pulcinella
Qu'un mauvais dessein rassembla
Gesticulent, noirs sous la lune.

Cependant l'excellent docteur
Bolonais cueille avec lenteur
Des simples parmi l'herbe brune.

Lors sa fille, piquant minois,
Sous la charmille, en tapinois,
Se glisse demi-nue, en quête

De son beau pirate espagnol
Dont un amoureux rossignol
Clame la détresse à tue-tête.

Text Authorship:

  • by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "Fantoches", appears in Fêtes galantes, no. 11, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1869

See other settings of this text.

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Anna Brull Piñol) , "Titelles", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Laura Claycomb) (Peter Grunberg) , "Puppets", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Marionetit", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Marionetten", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Elaine Marie Ortiz-Arandes) , "Marionetten", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Note: All ampersands (&) as appear in the first publication are changed to "et".

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]

3. Clair de lune
 (Sung text)

Language: French (Français) 
Votre âme est un paysage choisi
Que vont charmant masques et bergamasques
Jouant du luth et dansant et quasi
Tristes sous leurs déguisements fantasques.

Tout en chantant sur le mode mineur
L'amour vainqueur et la vie opportune,
Ils n'ont pas l'air de croire à leur bonheur
Et leur chanson se mêle au clair de lune,

Au calme clair de lune triste et beau,
Qui fait rêver les oiseaux dans les arbres
Et sangloter d'extase les jets d'eau,
Les grands jets d'eau sveltes parmi les marbres.

Text Authorship:

  • by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "Clair de lune", written 1867, appears in Fêtes galantes, no. 1, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1867

See other settings of this text.

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Anna Brull Piñol) , "Clar de Lluna", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • CAT Catalan (Català) [singable] (Núria Colomer) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • CHI Chinese (中文) (Yen-Chiang Che) , "月光", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Peter Low) , no title, copyright © 2000, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (William Faulkner) , "Clair de lune", first published 1920
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Nele Gramß) , "Mondlicht", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Bertram Kottmann) , "Mondlicht", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Pierre Mathé) , "Mondschein", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (José Miguel Llata) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Note: All ampersands (&) as appear in the first publication are changed to "et".

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
Total word count: 230
Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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