English translations of Trois mélodies, opus 4

by Jules Regnaud

1. Les papillons  [sung text not yet checked]
by Jules Regnaud , "Les papillons", op. 4 (Trois mélodies) no. 2, published 1867 [ high voice and piano ], Paris, G. Flaxland
Language: French (Français) 
Les papillons couleur de neige
Volent par essaims sur la mer ;
Beaux papillons blancs, quand pourrai-je
Prendre le bleu chemin de l'air ?

Savez-vous, ô belle des belles,
Ma bayadère aux yeux de jais,
S'ils me [pouvaient]1 prêter leurs ailes,
Dites, savez-vous où j'irais ?

Sans prendre un seul baiser aux roses,
À travers vallons et forêts,
J'irais à vos lèvres mi-closes,
Fleur de mon âme, et j'y mourrais.

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

View original text (without footnotes)

Note: this poem was titled "Pantoum" in L'Eldorado and Fortunio, and titled "Les papillons" in other editions.

1 in some settings, "voulaient"; we will add further information when we obtain it.

by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872)
1. The butterflies
Language: English 
The snow-white butterflies
fly in swarms over the sea.
Beautiful white butterflies, when can I
travel the blue path of the air?
 
Tell me, oh fairest of the fair,
my dancing-girl with the jet-black eyes -
if they were to lend me their wings,
do you know where I would fly?
 
Not taking one kiss from the roses,
I'd fly across valleys and forests
to alight on your half-closed lips (oh my soul's
chosen flower!) - and there I'd die.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2000 by Peter Low, (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.
    Contact: 

Based on:

Go to the general single-text view

Translation of title "Les papillons" = "The butterflies"


This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 78

Translation © by Peter Low