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Pour le jour des Hyacinthies, il m'a donné une syrinx faite de roseaux bien taillés, unis avec la blanche cire qui est douce à mes lèvres comme le miel. Il m'apprend à jouer, assise sur ses genoux ; mais je suis un peu tremblante. il en joue après moi, si doucement que je l'entends à peine. Nous n'avons rien à nous dire, tant nous sommes près l'un de l'autre; mais nos chansons veulent se répondre, et tour à tour nos bouches s'unissent sur la flûte. Il est tard, voici le chant des grenouilles vertes qui commence avec la nuit. Ma mère ne croira jamais que je suis restée si longtemps à chercher ma ceinture perdue.
Authorship
- by Pierre-Félix Louis (1870 - 1925), as Pierre Louÿs, "La Flûte de Pan", written 1894, appears in Les Chansons de Bilitis, in Bucoliques en Pamphylie, no. 30, Paris, Éd. du Mercure de France, first published 1897 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)
- by Jean-René Buvat (1897 - 1953), "La Flûte de Pan" [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by André-Marie Cuvelier , "La flûte de Pan", 1928 [high voice and piano], from Chansons de Bilitis, 2ème recueil, no. 3. [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Claude Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918), "La flûte de Pan", L. 97/(90) no. 1 (1897-8) [voice and piano], from Chansons de Bilitis, no. 1. [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Alina Piechowska-Pascal (b. 1937), "La flûte de Pan", published 1977 [high voice and piano], from Chants de Bilitis, no. 3, Paris, Éd. Choudens [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Aimée Strohl, dit Rita Strohl (1865 - 1941), "La flûte de Pan", published 1900 [high voice and piano], from Bilitis, Poème en 12 chants, no. 4, Paris, Éd. Toledo & Cie. [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Peter Low) , "The pan-pipes", copyright © 2000, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Nele Gramß) , "Pans Flöte", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Die Panflöte", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Il flauto di Pan", copyright © 2005, (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: 20
Word count: 115
For the festival of Hyacinthus he gave me a syrinx, a set of pipes made from well-cut reeds joined with the white wax that is sweet to my lips like honey. He is teaching me to play, as I sit on his knees; but I tremble a little. He plays it after me, so softly that I can scarcely hear it. We are so close that we have nothing to say to one another; but our songs want to converse, and our mouths are joined as they take turns on the pipes. It is late: here comes the chant of the green frogs, which begins at dusk. My mother will never believe I spent so long searching for my lost waistband.
Authorship
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2000 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:
- a text in French (Français) by Pierre-Félix Louis (1870 - 1925), as Pierre Louÿs, "La Flûte de Pan", written 1894, appears in Les Chansons de Bilitis, in Bucoliques en Pamphylie, no. 30, Paris, Éd. du Mercure de France, first published 1897
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 122