Awakening | Grave mouth of the lions

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by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963)

Translation © by Laura Stanfield Prichard

Réveil

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Bouche grave des lions 
Sourire sinueux des jeunes crocodiles 
Au fil d'eau du 
fleuve charriant des millions 
Iles d'épices 

Qu'il est beau le fils 
de la reine veuve 
et du matelot 

Le joli matelot délaisse une sirène 
Sa plainte de veuve 
au sud de l'îlot 

C'est la diane dans la cour de la caserne 
Rêve trop court 
Aube lanternes mal éteintes 

Nous nous réveillons 
Fanfare en haillons!

Text Authorship:

by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963) [author's text not yet checked 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 Georges Auric (1899 - 1983), "Réveil", 1917-8, published 1919 [ medium voice and piano ], from Huit poèmes de Jean Cocteau, no. 2, Paris, E. Demets [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "Awakening", copyright © 2016, (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: 16
Word count: 67

Awakening

Language: English after the French (Français)

Grave mouth of the lions 
Tortuous smile of the young crocodiles 
Near the thread of water of the 
river carrying millions 
Spice islands

How handsome he is the son
of the widowed queen 
and of the sailor 

The nice sailor abandoned a siren 
Her widow’s lament 
to the south of the islet 

This is the reveille call in the courtyard of the barracks 
Too short a dream 
Daybreak poorly extinguished lanterns 

We are waking up 
A tattered fanfare!

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Stanfield Prichard, (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:

a text in French (Français) by Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2016-04-14
Line count: 16
Word count: 78