by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896)
Translation by Stefan Zweig (1881 - 1942)

Votre âme est un paysage choisi
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  CAT CAT CHI ENG GER GER GER SPA SPA
Votre âme est un paysage choisi
Que vont charmant masques et bergamasques
Jouant du luth et dansant et quasi
Tristes sous leurs déguisements fantasques.

Tout en chantant sur le mode mineur
L'amour vainqueur et la vie opportune,
Ils n'ont pas l'air de croire à leur bonheur
Et leur chanson se mêle au clair de lune,

Au calme clair de lune triste et beau,
Qui fait rêver les oiseaux [dans]1 les arbres
Et sangloter d'extase les jets d'eau,
Les grands jets d'eau sveltes parmi les marbres.

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Paul Verlaine, Fêtes galantes, Paris: Alphonse Lemerre, 1869, pages 1-2. First appeared in the journal La Gazette rimée, February 20, 1867.

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

1 Diepenbrock: "sous"

Text Authorship:

  • by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "Clair de lune", written 1867, appears in Fêtes galantes, no. 1, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1867

See other settings of this text.

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Anna Brull Piñol) , "Clar de Lluna", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • CAT Catalan (Català) [singable] (Núria Colomer) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • CHI Chinese (中文) (Yan-Jiang Che) , "月光", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Peter Low) , no title, copyright © 2000, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (William Faulkner) , "Clair de lune", first published 1920
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Nele Gramß) , "Mondlicht", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Bertram Kottmann) , "Mondlicht", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Pierre Mathé) , "Mondschein", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (José Miguel Llata) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 86

Language: German (Deutsch)  after the French (Français) 
So seltsam scheint mir deine Seele, wie
ein Park, durch den ein Zug von Masken flimmert,
doch Tanz und ihrer Lauten Melodie
verbirgt nur Schmerz, der durch die Masken schimmert.

Von Liebe singen sie, bespöttelnd ihr Geschick,
doch Mollklang macht das lose Klimpern trüber,
es scheint, sie glauben selbst nicht an ihr Glück,
und leise rinnt ihr Lied in Mondschein über.

Im Mondschein, der, sanfttraurig, blass und blank,
die Vögel träumen läßt hoch in den Bäumen
und schluchzen die Fontänen, dass sie schlank
und schauernd in die Marmorschalen schäumen.

Confirmed with Robert Wesley Wason, Valerie Errante, Selected songs of the Munich School, 1870-1920, A-R Editions, 2010, p.Iii


Composition:

Text Authorship:

Based on:

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Research team for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor], Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2011-07-13
Line count: 12
Word count: 89