by Franz Toussaint (1879 - 1955)
Translation © by Grant Hicks

La danse des dieux
 (Sung text for setting by R. Wertheim)
 See original
Language: French (Français)  after the Chinese (中文) 
Our translations:  ENG
J'avais mis toute mon âme dans une chanson
que j'ai chanté aux hommes, et ils ont ri !
j'ai pris mon luth,
je suis allé m'asseoir au sommet d'une montagne
et j'ai chanté la chanson 
que les hommes n'avaient pas comprise.
Le soleil se couchait.
Au rhythme de ma chanson,
les Dieux ont dansé sur les nuages rouges
qui flottaient dans le ciel.

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

  • ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "The Dance of the Gods", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Grant Hicks [Guest Editor] , Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor] , Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2017-12-24
Line count: 10
Word count: 66

Language: English  after the French (Français) 
I had poured my entire soul into a song
which I sang for men, and they laughed!
I took up my lute,
and went and sat down on a mountaintop 
and sang the song
that men had not understood.
The sun was setting.
To the rhythm of my song,
the Gods danced upon the red clouds
that were floating in the sky.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2026 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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This text was added to the website: 2026-04-14
Line count: 10
Word count: 66