Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
If you wish to reprint translations, please use the Reprint Basket (upper right hand corner).
Reminder: You must always use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
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:
- by Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867), "L'albatros", appears in Les Fleurs du mal, in 1. Spleen et Idéal, no. 2, first published 1859-61
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
Sovente, per divertimento, i marinai catturano
gli albatri, i giganteschi uccelli dei mari,
che, indolenti compagni di viaggio, seguono
le navi che scivolano sopra gli abissi amari.
Non appena li hanno deposti sulla tolda,
questi sovrani dell'azzurro, goffi e impacciati,
miseramente trascinano la loro ala bianca
come un pesante remo cui restano attaccati.
...
Simile a lui è il poeta, al signore dei nembi,
che vive nelle tempeste e se la ride dell'arco;
Mentre a terra è in esilio, in balìa degli scherzi,
con le ali giganti che gli sono di impaccio.
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-2,4 of the original text.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2010 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (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.
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867), "L'albatros", appears in Les Fleurs du mal, in 1. Spleen et Idéal, no. 2, first published 1859-61
Go to the general single-text view
This text was added to the website: 2010-03-23
Line count: 16
Word count: 125