English translations of Onze mélodies, opus 21

by Auguste J. Schirlé (1895 - 1971)

1. L'esclave  [sung text not yet checked]
by Auguste J. Schirlé (1895 - 1971), "L'esclave", op. 21 (Onze mélodies) no. 1, published 1930, copyright © 1930 [ soprano and piano ], Montrouge, Éd. M.-A. Schirlé
Language: French (Français) 
Captive et peut-être oubliée,
Je songe à mes jeunes amours,
          À mes beaux jours,
Et par la fenêtre grillée
Je regarde l'oiseau joyeux
          Fendant les cieux.

Douce et pâle consolatrice,
Espérance, rayon d'en haut,
          Dans mon cachot
Fais-moi, sous ta clarté propice,
À ton miroir faux et charmant
          Voir mon amant !

Auprès de lui, belle Espérance,
Porte-moi sur tes ailes d'or,
          S'il m'aime encor,
Et, pour endormir ma souffrance,
Suspends mon âme sur son cœur
          Comme une fleur !

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Note: written for the musician Charles de Boigne

by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872)
1. The slave girl
Language: English 
Held captive and perhaps forgotten,
I dream of my young loves,
          Of my halcyon days,
And through the barred window
I see the joyful bird
          Splitting the heavens.








Clasp me to you, fair Hope,
Carry me on your wings of gold,
          If he loves me still.
And, to soothe my suffering,
Attach my soul over his heart
          Like a boutonniere!

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Prichard, (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.
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Translation of title "L'esclave" = "The slave girl"


This text was added to the website: 2016-04-04
Line count: 12
Word count: 60

Translation © by Laura Prichard
2. Tristesse  [sung text not yet checked]
by Auguste J. Schirlé (1895 - 1971), "Tristesse", op. 21 (Onze mélodies) no. 4, published 1930 [ medium voice and piano ], Montrouge, Éd. M.-A. Schirlé
Language: French (Français) 
J'ai perdu ma force et ma vie,
[Et]1 mes amis et ma gaieté ;
J'ai perdu jusqu'à la fierté
Qui faisait croire à mon génie.

Quand j'ai connu la Vérité,
J'ai cru que c'était une amie ;
[Quand je l'ai comprise et sentie]2,
J'en étais déjà dégoûté.

Et pourtant elle est éternelle,
Et ceux qui se sont passés d'elle
Ici-bas ont tout ignoré.

Dieu parle, il faut qu'on lui réponde.
Le seul bien qui me reste au monde
Est d'avoir quelquefois pleuré.

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First published in La Revue des deux mondes, December 1, 1841, and then in Poésies nouvelles, 1850.

1 omitted by Liszt.
2 Liszt: "Quand je l'ai comprise, quand je l'ai sentie"

by Louis Charles Alfred de Musset (1810 - 1857)
2. Sadness
Language: English 
I have lost my strength and my life,
[And] my friends and my joy;
I have lost even the arrogance
Which made my [intellect] think.

When I knew Truth,
I believed that she was a friend;
[But] when I understood her and felt her,
I was already disgusted [by her].

And yet [Truth] is eternal,
And those who have gone after her
Here below have been ignorant of everything.

God speaks, [and] one must respond to him.
The only good [thing] which remains to me in the world
Is having sometimes wept.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2019 by Garrett Medlock, (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.
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Translations of title(s):
"Sonnet" = "Sonnet"
"Tristesse" = "Sadness"
"J'ai perdu ma force et ma vie" = "I have lost my strength and my life"



This text was added to the website: 2019-05-08
Line count: 14
Word count: 92

Translation © by Garrett Medlock
3. J'ai lassé mon sein de neige  [sung text not yet checked]
by Auguste J. Schirlé (1895 - 1971), "J'ai lassé mon sein de neige", op. 21 (Onze mélodies) no. 6, published 1930 [ voice and piano ]
Language: French (Français) 
J'ai laissé de mon sein de neige
Tomber un œillet rouge à l'eau,
Hélas ! comment le reprendrai-je,
Mouillé par l'onde du ruisseau ?
Voilà le courant qui l'entraîne !
Bel œillet aux vives couleurs,
Pourquoi tomber dans la fontaine ?
Pour t'arroser j'avais mes pleurs !

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by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872)
3.
Language: English 
I have let a red carnation fall
from my snowy breast into the water.
Alas, how will I retrieve it,
now that it is wet from the stream?
And look, the current carries it away!
Oh beautiful carnation with your vivid colours
why did you fall into the spring?
To moisten you, I was here with my tears!

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2022 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.
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This text was added to the website: 2022-05-02
Line count: 8
Word count: 58

Translation © by Peter Low