To cure me of an ancient dream

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by Henri Cazalis (1840 - 1909), as Jean Lahor

Translation © by Grant Hicks

Pour me guérir d'un ancien songe

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Pour me guérir d'un ancien songe,
Ô Tsiganes, jouez un air,
Sombre et large, où se noie et plonge 
Mon âme, comme dans la mer! 

Faites vibrer, comme une corde,
Mon âme triste, à la briser ;
Je veux une chanson qui morde 
Avec la douceur d'un baiser ;

Et me rappelant ses paroles,
Et les caresses de sa voix, 
Qui m'arrache des larmes folles,
Comme nos serments d'autrefois !

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Confirmed with Jean Lahor, L'Illusion, 3rd edition, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, 1893, page 113.

Text Authorship:

by Henri Cazalis (1840 - 1909), as Jean Lahor, "Air tsigane", appears in L'Illusion, in 1. Chants de l'Amour et de la Mort, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1875 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2016-12-06
Line count: 12
Word count: 68

To cure me of an ancient dream

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Language: English after the French (Français)

To cure me of an ancient dream,
O Gypsies, play a tune,
Dark and broad, where my soul may dive
And drown itself, as in the sea!

Make my sad soul, like a string,
Vibrate until it breaks;
I want a song that will bite
With the tenderness of a kiss;

And that, recalling to me its words,
And the caresses of her voice,
Will draw from me foolish tears,
Like our vows of years past!

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Translations of titles:
"Air tsigane" = "Gypsy Tune"
"Air tzigane" = "Gypsy Tune"

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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Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Henri Cazalis (1840 - 1909), as Jean Lahor, "Air tsigane", appears in L'Illusion, in 1. Chants de l'Amour et de la Mort, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1875
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This text was added to the website: 2025-06-15
Line count: 12
Word count: 77