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by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872)

Beaux papillons blancs
 (Sung text for setting by L. Vierne)
 Matches original text
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  CHI ENG ENG
Les papillons couleur de neige
Volent par essaims sur la mer ;
Beaux papillons blancs, quand pourrai-je
Prendre le bleu chemin de l'air ?

Savez-vous, ô belle des belles,
Ma bayadère aux yeux de jais,
S'ils me pouvaient prêter leurs ailes,
Dites, savez-vous où j'irais ?

Sans prendre un seul baiser aux roses,
À travers vallons et forêts,
J'irais à vos lèvres mi-closes,
Fleur de mon âme, et j'y mourrais.

Note: this poem was titled "Pantoum" in L'Eldorado and Fortunio, and titled "Les papillons" in other editions.

Composition:

    Set to music by Louis Vierne (1870 - 1937), "Beaux papillons blancs", op. 11 no. 1 (1895), published [1898] [ high voice and piano ], from Trois mélodies sur Gautier et Verlaine, no. 1, Paris, E. Fromont

Text Authorship:

  • by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872), title 1: "Les papillons", title 2: "Pantoum", written 1837, appears in La Comédie de la Mort, first published 1838

See other settings of this text.

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

  • CHI Chinese (中文) (Dr Huaixing Wang) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Vrchlický) , "Motýli"
  • ENG English (Peter Low) , no title, copyright © 2000, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Amy Pfrimmer) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 67

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–Emily Ezust, Founder

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