Oh, when death, which nothing can appease

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by Théodore Faullin de Banville (1823 - 1891)

Translation © by Peter Low

Souhait

(Sung text for setting by C. Debussy)

See original

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Oh ! quand la mort, que rien ne saurait apaiser,
Nous prendra tous les deux dans un dernier baiser
Et jettera sur nous le manteau de ses ailes,
Puissions-nous réposer sous deux pierres jumelles !
Puissent les fleurs de rose aux parfums embaumés
Sortir de nos deux corps qui se sont tant aimés,
Et nos âmes fleurir ensemble, et, sur nos tombes
Se regarder longtemps d'amoureuses colombes !

Composition:

Claude Achille Debussy

Text Authorship:

by Théodore Faullin de Banville (1823 - 1891), "Oh ! quand la mort", written 1845, appears in Les Stalactites, no. 5, first published 1846

See other settings of this text.

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

ENG English (Peter Low) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 66

Wish

(Sung text translation for setting by C. Debussy)

See original

Language: English after the French (Français)

Oh, when death, which nothing can appease,
seizes us both in a final kiss
and throws over us the mantle of his wings,
may we then rest under two twin stones!
May roses with their fragrant perfumes
grow from our bodies which have loved each other so much,
may our souls blossom together, and on our tombs
may amorous doves eternally gaze at each other.

Translated titles
"Dernier Vœu" = "Last Wish"
"Oh ! quand la mort" = "Oh ! when Death"
"Souhait" = "Wish"
"Ultima verba" ="Last Word"

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.
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Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Théodore Faullin de Banville (1823 - 1891), "Oh ! quand la mort", written 1845, appears in Les Stalactites, no. 5, first published 1846
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This text was added to the website: 2022-09-23
Line count: 8
Word count: 66