Gallant festivities

Song Cycle by Claude Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918)

View original-language texts alone: Fêtes Galantes II

1. Les Ingénus
 (Sung text)
Language: French (Français) 
Les hauts talons luttaient avec les longues jupes,
En sorte que, selon le terrain et le vent,
Parfois luisaient des bas de jambes, trop souvent
Interceptés ! — et nous aimions ce jeu de dupes.

Parfois aussi le dard d'un insecte jaloux
Inquiétait le col des belles sous les branches,
Et c'étaient des éclairs soudains des nuques blanches,
Et ce régal comblait nos jeunes yeux de fous.

Le soir tombait, un soir équivoque d'automne :
Les belles, se pendant rêveuses à nos bras,
Dirent alors des mots si spécieux, tout bas,
Que notre âme, depuis ce temps, tremble et s'étonne.

Text Authorship:

  • by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "Les ingénus", written 1869, appears in Fêtes galantes, no. 7, Paris, Édition Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1869

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by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896)
1. Young lovers
Language: English 
High heels struggled with long skirts,
so that, depending on the terrain and the wind,
sometimes a bit of the ankle flashed,
too often intercepted! and we loved this fool’s game.

Sometimes also the sting of a jealous insect worried
the beautiful neck under the branches,
and then there were sudden flashes
of white necks and so regal, filled our young crazy eyes.

The night fell, a clear autumn night;
the beautiful ones, dreaming while in our arms,
said then words so special, so low, that our soul
since that time trembled and surprised itself.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2014 by Jordyn Elizabeth Beranek, (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: 2014-04-19
Line count: 12
Word count: 95

Translation © by Jordyn Elizabeth Beranek
2. Le Faune
 (Sung text)
Language: French (Français) 
Un vieux faune de terre cuite
Rit au centre des boulingrins,
Présageant sans doute une suite
Mauvaise à ces instants sereins

Qui m'ont conduit et t'ont conduite,
Mélancoliques pèlerins,
Jusqu'à cette heure dont la fuite
Tournoie au son des tambourins.

Text Authorship:

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Confirmed with Paul Verlaine, Fêtes galantes, Paris: Alphonse Lemerre, 1869, page 31.

Note: The ampersand (&) as appears in the first publication is changed to "et".


by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896)
2. The faun
Language: English 
An old faun made of terra-cotta
stands laughing in the middle of the lawn
doubtless predicting an unhappy
sequel to these serene moments

which have brought you and me (a couple
of melancholy pilgrims)
to this brief transient hour which now
is whirling away to the beat of little drums.

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:

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This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 50

Translation © by Peter Low
3. Colloque sentimental
 (Sung text)
Language: French (Français) 
Dans le vieux parc solitaire et glacé,
Deux formes ont tout à l'heure passé.

Leurs yeux sont morts et leurs lèvres sont molles,
Et l'on entend à peine leurs paroles.

Dans le vieux parc solitaire et glacé,
Deux spectres ont évoqué le passé.

— Te souvient-il de notre extase ancienne ?
— Pourquoi voulez-vous donc qu'il m'en souvienne ?

— Ton cœur bat-il toujours à mon seul nom ?
Toujours vois-tu mon âme en rêve ? — Non.

— Ah ! les beaux jours de bonheur indicible
Où nous joignions nos bouches ! — C'est possible.

— Qu'il était bleu, le ciel, et grand, l'espoir !
— L'espoir a fui, vaincu, vers le ciel noir.

Tels ils marchaient dans les avoines folles,
Et la nuit seule entendit leurs paroles.

Text Authorship:

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

by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896)
3. Sentimental dialogue
Language: English 
 In the old park's desolation and frost
 the paths of two ghostly figures have crossed.
 
 Their eyes are dead and their lips slack and gray
 and one can scarcely hear the words they say.
 
 In the old park's desolation and frost
 two spectres have been evoking the past.
 
 - "Do you recall our bliss of that September?"
 - "Why ever should you wish me to remember?"
 
 - "Now when you hear my name does your heart-rate grow?
 Do you still see me in your dreams?"
          - "No."
 
 - Ah, the enchantment of loving so dearly,
 those kisses that we shared!"
            - "Did we really?"
 
 Skies were so blue and hopes so high, so proud!
Defeated hope has fled in a sombre cloud.
 
 Thus did they walk in the wild grass swaying.
Only the night heard the words they were saying.

Text Authorship:

  • Singable 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


This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 137

Translation © by Peter Low