La femelle de l'alcyon, L'Amour, les volantes Sirènes, Savent de mortelles chansons Dangereuses et inhumaines. N'oyez pas ces oiseaux maudits, Mais les Anges du paradis.
Notes provided by Laura Prichard:
Line 1 : Classical mythology included references to female kingfishers nesting by the sea; the practice was said to cause the Gods to restrain the wind and waves.
Apollonaire’s notes to his Bestiary state (Laura Prichard's translation): “The sailors, hearing the female king-fisher sing, prepared to die, except around mid-December, when these birds make their nests, and the sea was believed to be calm. As for Love and the Sirens, these marvelous birds sing so harmoniously that life itself is not too high a price to pay for the pleasure of hearing such music.”
Composition:
- Set to music by Louis Durey (1888 - 1979), "Orphée", op. 17a no. 24 (1919), from Le Bestiaire, no. 24
Text Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki (1880 - 1918), as Guillaume Apollinaire, "Orphée", appears in Le Bestiaire, ou Cortège d'Orphée, no. 24, first published 1911
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Ted Perry , Laura Prichard [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 6
Word count: 25