I was about to leave. Doña Balbina

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

Translation © by Peter Low

Doña Balbine

(Sung text for setting by J. Radoux)

See original

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

J'allais partir ; doña Balbine
Se lève et prend à sa bobine
          Un long fil d'or ;
À mon bouton elle le noue,
Et puis me dit, baisant ma joue :
          « Restez encor !

« Par l'un des bouts ce fil, trop frêle
Pour retenir un infidèle,
          Tient à mon cœur...
Oui ! si vous partez, mon cœur s'arrache :
Un nœud si fort à vous m'attache,
          Ô mon vainqueur !

-- « Pourquoi donc prendre à ta bobine
Pour me fixer, doña Balbine,
          Un fil doré ?
À tes pieds qu'un cheveu m'enchaîne,
Se brisât-il, sois-en certaine,
          Je resterai ! »

Composition:

Jean-Théodore Radoux

Vingt mélodies, 1er recueil

Text Authorship:

by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872), no title, appears in España, first published 1845

See other settings of this text.

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

ENG English (Peter Low) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2013-03-25
Line count: 18
Word count: 94

I was about to leave. Doña Balbina

(Sung text translation for setting by J. Radoux)

See original

Language: English after the French (Français)

I was about to leave. Doña Balbina
rose and took from her bobbin
a long thread of gold.
She knotted it onto my button
and then said, kissing my cheek:
"Stay longer!

"This thread, too fragile to hold
a faithless man, is tied at one end
close to my heart...
If you go, my heart will break,
so strong is the knot that ties you to me
oh my conqueror!"

- "Then why, Doña Balbina, 
have you taken a golden thread
from your bobbin to hold me?
Let one strand of  hair chain me to your bed,
and if it breaks, be sure of this,
I will stay!"

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Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2022 by Peter Low, (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 Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872), no title, appears in España, first published 1845
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This text was added to the website: 2022-08-24
Line count: 18
Word count: 107