Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at 
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
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 [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 114
Prinsessa, kadehtien sen Heben osaa, joka tämän kupin pinnalla kohoaa suutelemaan huuliasi, annan rakkauden palaa, vaikkei minulla olekaan apotinarvoa eikä kukaan maalaa minua alastomana Sèvres-posliiniin. Enhän minä ole sinun pörröinen sylikoirasi, en pastilli suussasi, en viini huulillasi, en leikkiesi kohde ja tiedänhän minä, että katsot minua kylmästi, sinä vaalea kaunotar, jonka kampaajat ovat kultaseppiä! Ota minut palvelukseesi sinä, jonka naurussa vadelmat kohtaavat lempeiden karitsojen laumat, ja ne kaluavat kaikki lupaukset ja määkivät innoissaan. Ota minut palvelukseesi... että siivekäs Amor saisi maalata minut viuhkaansa soittamassa huilulla kotoista kehtolaulua Prinsessa, nimitä minut hymyjesi paimeneksi.
Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to Finnish (Suomi) copyright © 2016 by Erkki Pullinen, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Erkki Pullinen.  Contact: erkki (DOT) pullinen (AT) uniarts (DOT) fi
If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact:
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Stéphane Mallarmé (1842 - 1898), "Placet futile", first published 1897
This text was added to the website: 2016-08-16
Line count: 14
Word count: 92