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Dans ma cervelle se promène,
Ainsi qu’en son appartement,
Un beau chat, fort, doux et charmant ;
Quand il miaule, on l’entend à peine,
Tant son timbre est tendre et discret ;
Mais que sa voix s’apaise ou gronde,
Elle est toujours suave et profonde.
C’est là son charme et son secret.
Cette voix, qui perle et qui filtre
Dans mon fonds le plus ténébreux,
Me remplit comme un vers nombreux
Et me pénètre comme un philtre.
Elle endort les plus cruels maux
Et contient toutes les extases ;
Pour dire les plus longues phrases,
Elle n’a pas besoin de mots.
Non, il n’est pas d’archet qui morde
Sur mon cœur, parfait instrument,
Et fasse plus royalement
Chanter sa plus vibrante corde
Que ta voix, chat mystérieux,
Chat séraphique, chat étrange,
En qui tout est, comme en un ange,
Aussi subtil qu’harmonieux.
...
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-6 of the original text.
Composition:
- Set to music by Henri-Pierre Poupard (1901 - 1989), as Henri Sauguet, "Le chat I", 1938, published 1944, stanzas 1-6 [ medium voice and piano ], from Six mélodies sur des poèms Symbolistes, no. 5, Éd. Amphion
Text Authorship:
- by Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867), "Le chat", written 1857, appears in Les Fleurs du mal, in 1. Spleen et Idéal, no. 47, Paris, Poulet-Malassis et de Broise, first published 1857
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Haasz) , "Kot", Prague, J. Otto, first published 1919
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Juan Henríquez Concepción) , "El gato", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Grant Hicks [Guest Editor] , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 40
Word count: 226
En mi cerebro se pasea, Como en su morada, Un bello gato, fuerte, dulce y encantador. Cuando maúlla, se le escucha apenas, tan delicado y discreto es su timbre; Pero su voz, ya sea delicada, ya gruña, es siempre rica y profunda. Ahí está su encanto y su secreto. Esta voz, que brota y que fluye En mi interior más tenebroso, Me colma cual un verso cadencioso Y me regocija como un filtro. Adormece los más crueles males Y contiene todos los éxtasis; Para decir las más largas frases, no necesita de palabras. ¿No, no hay arco que muerda Sobre mi corazón, perfecto instrumento, Y haga más noblemente Cantar su más vibrante cuerda. Que tu voz, gato misterioso, Gato seráfico, gato extraño, donde todo es, cual en un ángel, Tan sutil como armonioso!
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-6 of the original text.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to Spanish (Español) copyright © 2008 by Juan Henríquez Concepción, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Juan Henríquez Concepción. We have no current contact information for the copyright-holder.
If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867), "Le chat", written 1857, appears in Les Fleurs du mal, in 1. Spleen et Idéal, no. 47, Paris, Poulet-Malassis et de Broise, first published 1857
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This text was added to the website: 2008-09-03
Line count: 24
Word count: 133