by Franz Toussaint (1879 - 1955)
Translation © by Grant Hicks

L’Autre
Language: French (Français)  after the Arabic (العربية) 
Our translations:  ENG
Ma main avait parcouru son corps, 
elle s'était endormie. 
Je la regardais.
Cependant, ma pensée allait [à]1 une autre.
Comme sa main [saurait]2 m'endormir !
Et j'ai tant besoin de sommeil...

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   A. Bonhomme 

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Franz Toussaint, Le Jardin des caresses, Paris: L'Édition d'Art H. Piazza, 1921, Page 125.

1 Bonhomme: "vers"
2 Bonhomme: "pourrait"

Text Authorship:

Based on:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

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

  • ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "The Other", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Grant Hicks [Guest Editor] , Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2024-10-20
Line count: 6
Word count: 32

The Other
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
My hand had traversed her body,
she had fallen asleep.
I was watching her.
Yet my thoughts were turning [to]1 another.
How her hand [knew how to]2 put me to sleep!
And I have such need of sleep...

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Bonhomme: "towards"
2 Bonhomme: "could"

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2025 by Grant Hicks, (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: 2025-09-13
Line count: 6
Word count: 40