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Ange plein de gaieté, connaissez-vous l'angoisse,
La honte, les remords, les regrets, les ennuis,
Et les vagues terreurs de ces affreuses nuits
Qui compriment le cœur comme un papier qu'on froisse ?
Ange plein de gaieté, connaissez-vous l'angoisse ?
Ange plein de bonté, connaissez-vous la haine,
Les poings crispés dans l'ombre, et les larmes de fiel,
Quand la Vengeance bat son infernal rappel,
Et de nos facultés se fait le capitaine ?
Ange plein de bonté, connaissez-vous la haine ?
...
Ange plein de beauté, connaissez-vous les rides,
Et la peur de vieillir, et ce hideux tourment
De lire la secrète horreur du dévouement
Dans les yeux où longtemps burent nos yeux avides ?
Ange plein de beauté, connaissez-vous les rides ?
Ange plein de bonheur, de joie et de lumières,
David mourant aurait demandé la santé
Aux émanations de ton corps enchanté !
-- Mais de toi je n'implore, ange, que tes prières,
Ange plein de bonheur, de joie et de lumières !
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-2,4-5 of the original text.
First published in Revue des Deux Mondes, seconde série de la nouvelle période, tome dixième, 1855. Also appears in Les Fleurs du mal as number 40 in the 1857 edition and 44 or 45 in subsequent editions.
Composition:
- Set to music by Louis Vierne (1870 - 1937), "Réversibilité", op. 45 no. 2 (1921), published 1924, stanzas 1-2,4-5 [ voice and piano ], from Cinq Poèmes de Baudelaire, no. 2, Éd. Salabert (Maurice Sénart)
Text Authorship:
- by Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867), "Réversibilité", appears in Les Fleurs du mal, in 1. Spleen et Idéal, no. 44, Paris, Bureau de la Revue des Deux Mondes, first published 1855
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Haasz) , "Zpětnost"
- ENG English (Corinne Orde) , "Reversibility", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Reversibilità", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Geoffrey Wieting , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 25
Word count: 196
Angel full of gaiety, do you know the anguish,
The shame, the remorse, the regrets, the troubles,
And the vague terrors of those awful nights
That crush the heart like a scrunched up piece of paper?
Angel full of gaiety, do you know anguish?
Angel full of goodness, do you know the hatred,
The clenched fists in the shadow and the bitter tears
When vengeance beats its infernal call to arms
And makes itself the commander of our faculties?
Angel full of goodness, do you know hatred?
...
Angel full of happiness, joy and light,
The dying David would have asked for health
When presented with the emanations from your enchanted body;
But from you, angel, I beg only your prayers,
Angel full of happiness, joy and of light.
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-2,4-5 of the original text.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2007 by Corinne Orde, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867), "Réversibilité", appears in Les Fleurs du mal, in 1. Spleen et Idéal, no. 44, Paris, Bureau de la Revue des Deux Mondes, first published 1855
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This text was added to the website: 2007-11-20
Line count: 20
Word count: 174