I am jealous, Psyche, of all of nature

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.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Pierre Corneille (1606 - 1684)

Translation © by Peter Low

Psyché

(Sung text for setting by Paladilhe)

See original

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Je le suis, ma Psyché, de toute la nature:
Les rayons du soleil vous baisent trop souvent;
Vos cheveux souffrent trop les caresses du vent:
Quand il les flatte, j'en murmure;
L'air même que vous respirez
Avec trop de plaisir passe sur votre bouche;
Votre habit de trop près vous touche;
Et sitôt que vous soupirez,
Je ne sais quoi qui m'effarouche
Craint parmi vos soupirs des soupirs égarés.
 ...

Note: the text above is taken from lines 1-10 of the original text.

Composition:

Émile Paladilhe

Text Authorship:

by Pierre Corneille (1606 - 1684), no title, written 1671, appears in Psyché, Act II, Scene 3

See other settings of this text.

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

ENG English (Peter Low) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 23
Word count: 154

Psyché

(Sung text translation for setting by Paladilhe)

See original

Language: English after the French (Français)

I am jealous, Psyche, of all of nature:
the sun's rays kiss you too frequently;
your hair too often feels the wind's caresses:
they flatter it, and then I complain;
the very air that you breathe
too much enjoys moving past your mouth;
your garments touch your body too close;
and whenever you sigh,
I feel something that scares me
and fear that some sighs may go elsewhere.
 ...

Note: the text above is taken from lines 1-10 of the original text.

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2025 by Peter Low, (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 Pierre Corneille (1606 - 1684), no title, written 1671, appears in Psyché, Act II, Scene 3
- Go to the text page.

Go to the general single-text view

This text was added to the website: 2025-05-19
Line count: 23
Word count: 153