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Princesse ! à jalouser le destin d'une Hébé Qui poind sur cette tasse au baiser de vos lèvres, J'use mes feux mais n'ai rang discret que d'abbé Et ne figurerai même nu sur le Sèvres. Comme je ne suis pas ton bichon embarbé, Ni la pastille ni du rouge, ni Jeux mièvres Et que sur moi je sais ton regard clos tombé, Blonde dont les coiffeurs divins sont des orfèvres ! Nommez-nous... toi de qui tant de ris framboisés Se joignent en troupeau d'agneaux apprivoisés Chez tous broutant les vœux et bêlant aux délires, Nommez-nous... pour qu'Amour ailé d'un éventail M'y peigne flûte aux doigts endormant ce bercail, Princesse, nommez-nous berger de vos sourires.
Confirmed with Stéphane Mallarmé, Collected Poems and Other Verse, Oxford University Press, 2008, page 8.
Authorship
- by Stéphane Mallarmé (1842 - 1898), "Placet futile", 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 John Borstlap (b. 1950), "Placet futile", 1975, published 1977 [ medium voice and piano ], Amsterdam, Édition Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Claude Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918), "Placet futile", L. 135/(127) no. 2 (1913), published 1913 [ voice and piano ], from Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937), "Placet futile", M. 64 no. 2 (1913), published 1914 [ voice, 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, 2 violins, viola, cello, piano ], from Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé, no. 2, Paris, Durand [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Fútil súplica", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Nicolas Gounin) , "Futile Petition", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Tolkuton anomus", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Nicolas Gounin
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 114
Princess! in envying the fate of a Hebe, Who appears on this cup at the kiss of your lips, I use up my ardor, but my modest station is only that of abbé And I won't even appear nude on the Sévres porcelain. Since I am not your bewhiskered lapdog, Nor lozenge, nor rouge, nor affected games, And since I know that you look on me with indifferent eyesy Blonde whose divine hairdressers are goldsmiths! Appoint me ... you whose many raspberried laughs Are gathered into flocks of docile lambs, Nibbling at all vows and bleating deliriously, Appoint me ... in order that Love, with a fan as his wings, May paint me fingering a flute and lulling this sheepfold, Princess, appoint me shepherd of your smiles.
Authorship
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © by Nicolas Gounin, (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 Stéphane Mallarmé (1842 - 1898), "Placet futile", first published 1897
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 127