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Two Romances
Song Cycle by Claude Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918)
View original-language texts alone: Deux Romances
Les feuilles s'ouvraient sur le bord des branches
Délicatement.
Les cloches tintaient, légères et franches,
Dans le ciel clément.
Rythmique et fervent comme une antienne,
Ce lointain appel
Me remémorait la blancheur chrétienne
Des fleurs de l'autel.
Ces cloches parlaient d'heureuses années,
Et, dans le grand bois,
Semblaient reverdir les feuilles fanées,
Des jours d'autrefois.
Text Authorship:
- by Paul Bourget (1852 - 1935), "Romance", appears in Les Aveux, in Dilettantisme
See other settings of this text.
The leaves opened on the edge of the branches delicately. The bells tolled, light and free, in the clear sky. Rhythmically and fervently, like an antiphon, this far-away call reminded me of the Christian whiteness of altar flowers. These bells spoke of happy years, and in the large forest they seemed to revive the withered leaves of days gone by.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © by Grant A. Lewis, (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: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Paul Bourget (1852 - 1935), "Romance", appears in Les Aveux, in Dilettantisme
Go to the general single-text view
Translation of title "Les cloches" = "The bells"This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 60
L'âme évaporée et souffrante, L'âme douce, l'âme odorante Des lys divins que j'ai cueillis Dans le jardin de ta pensée, Où donc les vents l'ont-ils chassée, Cette âme adorable des lys? N'est-il plus un parfum qui reste De la suavité céleste Des jours où tu m'enveloppais D'une vapeur surnaturelle, Faite d'espoir, d'amour fidèle, De béatitude et de paix?...
Text Authorship:
- by Paul Bourget (1852 - 1935), "Romance", written 1882, appears in Les Aveux, in Amour, no. 32, Paris Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1882
See other settings of this text.
The vanishing and suffering soul, The sweet soul, the fragrant soul Of divine lilies that I have picked In the garden of your thoughts, Where, then, have the winds chased it, This charming soul of the lilies? Is there no longer a perfume that remains Of the celestial sweetness Of the days when you enveloped me In a supernatural haze, Made of hope, of faithful love, Of bliss and of peace?
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2002 by Korin Kormick, (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: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Paul Bourget (1852 - 1935), "Romance", written 1882, appears in Les Aveux, in Amour, no. 32, Paris Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1882
Go to the general single-text view
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 71