Les donneurs de sérénades
Et les belles écouteuses
Échangent des propos fades
Sous les ramures chanteuses.

C'est Tircis et c'est Aminte,
Et c'est l'éternel Clitandre,
Et c'est Damis qui pour mainte
Cruelle fait maint vers tendre.

Leurs courtes vestes de soie,
Leurs longues robes à queues,
Leur élégance, leur joie
Et leurs molles ombres bleues

Tourbillonnent dans l'extase
D'une lune rose et grise,
Et la mandoline jase
Parmi les frissons de brise.

Note: first appeared in La Gazette rimée, February 20, 1867, under the title "Trumeau", and then in Fêtes galantes, Paris, éd. Alphonse Lemerre, 1869, under the title "Mandoline".

Composition:

Set to music by Claude Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918), "Mandoline", L. 43/(29) (1881-2), published 1890 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Durand et Schœnewerk

Text Authorship:

• by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), title 1: "Mandoline", title 2: "Trumeau", written 1867, appears in Fêtes galantes, no. 15, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1867

See other settings of this text.

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

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• CHI Chinese (中文) (Mei Foong Ang) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Vrchlický) , "Mandoliny"
• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , no title, copyright ©
• SPA Spanish (Español) (Alfredo García) , "Mandolina", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 72