You used to tell me

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by Franz Toussaint (1879 - 1955)

Translation © by Grant Hicks

Vous me répétiez

(Sung text for setting by R. Wertheim)

See original

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Vous me répétiez :
« Nous vieillirons ensemble.
En même temps que les miens,
tes cheveux deviendront blancs
comme la neige des montagnes,
comme la lune d’été... »
Aujourd’hui, seigneur,
j’ai appris que vous aimiez une autre femme,
et je viens, désespérée, vous dire adieu.

 ...

Note: the text above is taken from stanza 1 of the original text.

inspired by Li-Tai-Po

Composition:

Rosalie Marie Wertheim

La chanson déchirante

Donemus

Text Authorship:

by Franz Toussaint (1879 - 1955), "La chanson des têtes blanches", appears in La flûte de jade

Go to the general single-text view

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

ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Grant Hicks [Guest Editor] , Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2026-04-04
Line count: 20
Word count: 114

You used to tell me

(Sung text translation for setting by R. Wertheim)

See original

Language: English after the French (Français)

You used to tell me,
"We will grow old together. 
Along with my own,
your hair will turn white
as the mountain snow,
as the summer moon..." 
Today, my lord, 
I learned that you loved another woman, 
and I am coming, hopeless, to say goodbye. 

 ...

Note: the text above is taken from stanza 1 of the original text.

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2026 by Grant Hicks, (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 Franz Toussaint (1879 - 1955), "La chanson des têtes blanches", appears in La flûte de jade
- Go to the text page.

Go to the general single-text view

This text was added to the website: 2026-04-21
Line count: 20
Word count: 127