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To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

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by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896)
Translation © by Salvador Pila

Bon chevalier masqué qui chevauche en...
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG GER
Bon chevalier masqué qui chevauche en silence,
Le Malheur a percé mon vieux cœur de sa lance.

Le sang de mon vieux cœur n'a fait qu'un jet vermeil,
Puis s'est évaporé sur les fleurs, au soleil.

L'ombre éteignit mes yeux, un cri vint à ma bouche
Et mon vieux cœur est mort dans un frisson farouche.

Alors le chevalier Malheur s'est [rapproché]1,
Il a mis pied à terre et sa main m'a touché.

Son doigt ganté de fer entra dans ma blessure
Tandis qu'il attestait sa loi d'une voix dure.

Et voici qu'au contact glacé du doigt de fer
Un cœur me renaissait, tout un cœur pur et fier

Et voici que, fervent d'une candeur divine,
Tout un cœur jeune et bon battit dans ma poitrine !

Or, je restais tremblant, ivre, incrédule un peu,
Comme un homme qui voit des visions de Dieu.

Mais le bon chevalier, remonté sur sa bête,
En s'éloignant, me fit un signe de la tête

Et me cria (j'entends encore cette voix) :
« Au moins, prudence ! Car c'est bon pour une fois. »

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   E. Chausson 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Chausson: "approché"

Text Authorship:

  • by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), no title, appears in Sagesse, in Sagesse I, no. 1, first published 1880 [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 Ernest Amédée Chausson (1855 - 1899), "Le Chevalier Malheur", op. 34 no. 2 (1898), published 1898, first performed 1900 [ voice and piano ], from Deux Poèmes de Verlaine, no. 2, Paris, Rouart Lerolle [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Pierre Hermant (1869 - 1928), "Bon chevalier masqué qui chevauche en silence", published 1904 [ voice and orchestra or piano ], from Sagesse, no. 1, Paris, Énoch [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Georges (Jerzy) Nawrocki , "Bon chevalier masqué qui chevauche en silence", <<1971 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Peter Low) , "A good masked Horseman", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Stefan George) , no title, appears in Zeitgenössische Dichter, in Frankreich, in Paul Verlaine, in Aus: Weisheit, no. 1


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 180

Bon cavaller emmascarat que cavalca en...
Language: Catalan (Català)  after the French (Français) 
Bon cavaller emmascarat que cavalca en silenci,
la Desgràcia travessà el meu vell cor amb la seva llança.

La sang del meu vell cor féu tan sols un doll vermell
i després s’evaporà damunt les flors, al sol. 

L’ombra apagà els meus ulls, un crit em vingué a la boca
i el meu vell cor morí amb una feroç esgarrifança.

Llavors el cavaller Desgràcia s’apropà,
posà el peu a terra i em tocà amb la seva mà.

El seu dit enguantat de ferro penetrà dins la meva ferida
mentre ell atestava la seva llei amb una veu dura.

I heus aquí que, al glaçat contacte del dit de ferro,
un cor em renasqué, un cor tot pur i ardit.

I heus aquí que fervent, amb una candidesa divina,
un cor tot jove i bo bategà en el meu pit!

Així doncs, jo vaig restar tremolant, ebri, un xic incrèdul,
com un home que veu visions de Déu.

Però el bon cavaller, muntant de nou el seu animal
i allunyant-se, em féu un signe amb el cap

i em cridà (jo sento encara aquella veu):
“Almenys prudència! Car per una vegada està bé.”

About the headline (FAQ)

Translation of title "Le Chevalier Malheur" = "El cavaller Desgràcia"

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to Catalan (Català) copyright © 2016 by Salvador Pila, (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 Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), no title, appears in Sagesse, in Sagesse I, no. 1, first published 1880
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2016-06-30
Line count: 20
Word count: 192

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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