Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
Nous emmenions en esclavage Cent chrétiens, pêcheurs de corail ; Nous recrutions pour le sérail Dans tous les moûtiers du rivage. En mer, les hardis écumeurs ! Nous allions de Fez à Catane... Dans la galère capitane Nous étions quatre-vingts rameurs. On signale un couvent à terre. Nous jetons l'ancre près du bord. A nos yeux s'offre tout d'abord ... - La belle fille, il faut vous taire, Il faut nous suivre. Il fait bon vent. Ce n'est que changer de couvent. Le harem vaut le monastère. Sa hautesse aime les primeurs, Nous vous ferons mahométane... Dans la galère capitane Nous étions quatre-vingts rameurs. Elle veut fuir vers sa chapelle. - Osez-vous bien, fils de Satan ? - Nous osons, dit le capitan. Elle pleure, supplie, appelle. ... Plus belle encor dans sa tristesse, Ses yeux étaient deux talismans. Elle valait mille tomans ; On la vendit à sa hautesse. Elle eut beau dire : Je me meurs ! De nonne elle devint sultane... Dans la galère capitane Nous étions quatre-vingts rameurs.
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-5 of the original text.
Composition:
- Set to music by Paul-Charles-Marie Curet (1848 - 1917), as Paul Puget, "Chanson de pirates", 1870-79?, stanzas 1-5 [ high voice and piano ], from Vingt mélodies, Vol. 1, no. 3, Éd. Girod
Text Authorship:
- by Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885), "Chanson de pirates", written 1828, appears in Les Orientales, no. 8
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Peter Low) , "Pirate Song", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2013-10-31
Line count: 40
Word count: 207
We carried into slavery a hundred Christians - coral fishers - we took recruits for the harem from all the nunneries of the coast. Set sail, bold plunderers! We went from Fez to Catania. In the leading galley we were eighty rowers. Someone pointed out a convent on land. We anchored near the shore. The first thing we saw was a girl from the convent. Near the waves, deaf to their noise, she was sleeping under a plane-tree... In the leading galley we were eighty rowers. - Beautiful girl, you must keep silent, and follow us. The wind is good. You'll just be changing convents. The harem is as good as the nunnery. His highness likes fresh fruit. We will make you a Muslim... In the leading galley we were eighty rowers. She wanted to flee to her chapel. - Sons of Satan, do you dare? -_ We dare, said the captain. She weeps, she begs, she calls out. Despite her pleas and her clamour she was carried into the boat... In the leading galley we were eighty rowers. More beautiful still in her sadness, her eyes were two talismans. She was worth a thousand gold coins; she was sold to his highness. In vain she said: I am dying! This nun became a sultana... In the leading galley we were eighty rowers.
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-5 of the original text.
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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885), "Chanson de pirates", written 1828, appears in Les Orientales, no. 8
Go to the general single-text view
This text was added to the website: 2022-09-05
Line count: 40
Word count: 219