Là ! je me tue à vos genoux !
	Car ma détresse est infinie,
Et la tigresse épouvantable d'Hyrcanie
	Est une agnelle auprès de vous.

	Oui, céans, cruelle Clymène,
	Ce glaive qui, dans maints combats,
Mit tant de Scipions et de Cyrus à bas,
	Va finir ma vie et ma peine !

	Ai-je même besoin de lui
	Pour descendre aux Champs-Élysées ?
Amour perça-t-il pas de flèches aiguisées
	Mon cœur, dès que votre œil m'eut lui ?

Note: All ampersands (&) as appear in the first publication are changed to "et".

Composition:

Set to music by Kaikhosru Sorabji (1892 - 1988), "Dans la grotte", KSS 37 no. 3 (1924), published 1924 [ voice and piano ], from Trois fêtes galantes de Verlaine, no. 3, London, Curwen

Text Authorship:

• by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "Dans la grotte", appears in Fêtes galantes, no. 6, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1869

See other settings of this text.

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

• ENG English (Charles Hopkins) , written 2002, first published 2002, copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Charles Hopkins) , "In the Grotto", written c2005, copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 73