Language: French (Français)
Our translations: ENG HUN ITA
Souvent, pour s'amuser, les hommes d'équipage
Prennent des albatros, vastes oiseaux des mers,
Qui suivent, indolents compagnons de voyage,
Le navire glissant sur les gouffres amers.
À peine les ont-ils déposés sur les planches,
Que ces rois de l'azur, maladroits et honteux,
Laissent piteusement leurs grandes ailes blanches
Comme des avirons traîner à côté d'eux.
...
Le Poëte est semblable au prince des nuées
Qui hante la tempête et se rit de l'archer ;
Exilé sur le sol au milieu des huées,
Ses ailes de géant l'empêchent de marcher.
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-2,4 of the original text.
Note: modern French spelling would change "Poëte" (stanza 4, line 1) to "Poète"
Composition:
Set to music by Ernest Amédée Chausson (1855 - 1899), "L'albatros", published 1879, stanzas 1-2,4 [ medium voice and piano ]
Text Authorship:
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Haasz) , "Albatros"
- ENG English (David K. Smythe) , "The albatross", copyright © 2003, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Tamás Rédey) , "’Z albatrosz", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Árpád Tóth) , "Az albatrosz", written 1918
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "L'albatro", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- POL Polish (Polski) (Bronisława Ostrowska) , "Albatros", Kraków, first published 1911
- POR Portuguese (Português) (Delfim Guimarães) , "O albatroz"
- ROM Romanian (Română) (Alexandru I. Philippide) , "Albatrosul"
Research team for this page: Ted Perry , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 119
Language: English after the French (Français)
Often, to amuse themselves, the crewmen
Would catch albatrosses, huge birds of the seas,
Which would follow, lazy voyage companions,
The ship gliding over the briny chasms.
Hardly had they settled on the deck,
Then these kings of the skies, clumsy and ashamed,
Would let trail piteously their great white wings
Like oars beside them.
...
The Poet resembles the prince of the clouds
Who haunts the storm and laughs at the archer;
Exiled on Earth in the midst of the booing audience,
His giant's wings prevent him from walking.
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-2,4 of the original text.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2003 by David K. Smythe, (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:
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This text was added to the website: 2004-03-25
Line count: 16
Word count: 127
