by
Pierre-Félix Louis (1870 - 1925), as Pierre Louÿs
Chant pastoral
Language: French (Français)
Our translations: ENG GER
Il faut chanter un chant pastoral, invoquer
Pan, dieu du vent d'été. Je garde mon
troupeau et Sélénis le sien, à l'ombre ronde
d'un olivier qui tremble.
Sélénis est couchée sur le pré. Elle se
lève et court, ou cherche des cigales, ou
cueille des fleurs avec des herbes, ou lave
son visage dans l'eau fraîche du ruisseau.
Moi, j'arrache la laine au dos blond des
moutons pour en garnir ma quenouille, et je
file. Les heures sont lentes. Un aigle
passe dans le ciel.
L'ombre tourne: changeons de place la corbeille
de [figues]1 et la jarre de lait.
Il faut chanter un chant pastoral,
invoquer Pan, dieu du vent d'été.
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• C. Debussy View original text (without footnotes)
1 Debussy: "fleurs" (and some editions of Louÿs)
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 André-Marie Cuvelier , "Chant pastoral", 1932 [ high voice and piano ], from Chansons de Bilitis, 2ème recueil, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Claude Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918), "Chant pastoral", L. 102/(96) no. 1, from Chansons de Bilitis, no. 1, note: incidental music to accompany the recitation of twelve prose poems [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Joseph Jongen (1873 - 1953), "Chant pastoral", op. 42 (1913) [ women's chorus and piano or chamber orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Marvin J. Ward) , "Pastoral Song", copyright © 2003, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Hirtenlied", 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: 16
Word count: 112
Pastoral Song
Language: English after the French (Français)
We must sing a pastoral song, invoke Pan,
god of the summer wind. I watch my flock
and Sélénis watches hers, in the round
shade of a trembling olive tree.
Sélénis is lying in the meadow.
She rises and runs, or searches for grasshoppers,
or gathers flowers with grasses,
or washes her face in the cool water of the brook.
And I, I tear the wool from the blond backs of the sheep
to fill up my distaff, and I spin.
The hours pass too slowly.
An eagle passes in the sky.
The shade turns, let us move the basket
of [figs]1 and the jar of milk.
We must sing a pastoral song,
invoke Pan, god of the summer wind.
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Debussy: "flowers"
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: 16
Word count: 121
