by
Pierre-Félix Louis (1870 - 1925), as Pierre Louÿs
Les contes
Language: French (Français)
Our translations: ENG GER
Je suis aimée des petits enfants; dès qu'ils
me voient, ils courent à moi, et s'accrochent
à ma tunique et prennent mes jambes dans
leurs petits bras.
S'ils ont cueilli des fleurs, ils me les donnent
toutes ; s'ils ont pris un scarabée ils le
mettent dans ma main; s'ils n'ont rien ils me
caressent et me font asseoir devant eux.
Alors ils m'embrassent sur la joue, ils
posent leurs têtes sur mes seins ; ils me
supplient avec les yeux. Je sais bien ce que
cela veut dire.
Cela veut dire: "Bilitis chérie, [dis-nous]1,
car nous sommes gentils, l'histoire du héros
Perseus ou la mort de la petite Hellé."
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• C. Debussy View text without footnotes
1 Debussy: "redis-nous"
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Jeanne Bernard (1895 - 1965), "Les contes" [ voice and piano ], from Trois chansons de Bilitis, no. 2, Paris, Senart [sung text not yet checked]
- by André-Marie Cuvelier (d. 1947), "Les contes", 1935 [ voice and piano ], from Chansons de Bilitis, 2ème recueil, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Georges Dandelot (1895 - 1975), "Les contes", published 1924 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Georges Dandelot (1895 - 1975), "Les contes", 1924, published 1929, first performed 1929 [ high voice and piano ], from Six Chansons de Bilitis, 1er recueil, no. 2, Paris, Éd. Max Eschig [sung text not yet checked]
- by Claude Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918), "Les contes", L. 102/(96) no. 3, from Chansons de Bilitis, no. 3, note: incidental music to accompany the recitation of twelve prose poems. [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Marvin J. Ward) , "The tales", copyright © 2003, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Geschichten", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust
[Administrator] , Marvin J. Ward
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 15
Word count: 110
The tales
Language: English after the French (Français)
I am beloved of the little children;
as soon as they see me, they run to me,
and clutch my tunic, and take my legs
in their little arms.
If they have gathered flowers, they give them all to me;
if they have caught a beetle, they put it in my hand;
if they have nothing, they caress me
and make me sit down in front of them.
Then they kiss me on the cheek,
they put their heads on my breasts;
they plead with me with their eyes.
I know well what that means.
That means: "Dear Bilitis, tell us [again]
because we are nice, the story
of the hero Perseus or the death of little Hellé. "
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2003 by Marvin J. Ward, (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:
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 15
Word count: 119
