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Nous sommes partis un matin ; La menthe, l'iris et le thym Mêlaient leurs senteurs pénétrantes ; Nous allions vers les pays bleus Pour cueillir des lys fabuleux Et de mystiques amarantes. Fleurs coquettes et fleurs des blés Paraient ses cheveux déroulés ; Mais on cueille sur les chemins Plus de baisers que de jasmins. Nous voulions écouter aussi Rossignols, merles sans souci, Toutes les voix de la ramée ; Même, pour les entendre mieux, Dans un fourré silencieux J'avais conduit ma bien-aimée. Nous avons écouté, rêvé ; Mais sous bois nous avons trouvé Plus de chansons que de pinsons, Plus de baisers que de chansons.
Authorship
- by Maurice Bouchor (1855 - 1929), "Chanson", appears in Les poëmes de l'amour et de la mer, in 1. La fleur des eaux, no. 28, first published 1876 [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 Charles Bordes (1863 - 1909), "Chanson", 1883, published 1921? [ medium voice and piano ], Éd. J. Hamelle [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ernest Amédée Chausson (1855 - 1899), "Chanson", 1877, published 1878 [ high voice and piano ], from Deux Poèmes de Bouchor, no. 1, Éd. Durand-Schoenewerk [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Georges Eugène Marty (1860 - 1908), "Chanson", published [1889] [ high voice and piano ], from 4 Mélodies, no. 4, Éd. Bruneau & Cie. [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , "Song", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 106
We left one morning. Mint, iris and thyme mingled their keen odours. We were headed to the blue lands to gather fabled lilies and mystical amaranth. Saucy flowers and blooms of the fields adorned her unbound hair; but on the road we gathered more kisses than jasmine flowers. We also wanted to listen to the nightingales, the carefree thrushes, all the voices from the branches. I even drew my beloved into a silent thicket in order to hear them better. We listened and dreamed, but under the trees we found more songs than finches, more kisses than songs.
Authorship
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2014 by Faith J. Cormier, (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 Maurice Bouchor (1855 - 1929), "Chanson", appears in Les poëmes de l'amour et de la mer, in 1. La fleur des eaux, no. 28, first published 1876
This text was added to the website: 2014-11-11
Line count: 20
Word count: 98