Gens en velours | Des séraphins pygmées -- égarés

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by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)

Translation © by Guy Laffaille

Pigmy seraphs gone astray

Language: English

Our translations: FRE

Pigmy seraphs gone astray,
Velvet people from Vevay,
Belles from some lost summer day,
Bees' exclusive coterie.
Paris could not lay the fold
Belted down with emerald;
Venice could not show a cheek
Of a tint so lustrous meek.
Never such an ambuscade
As of brier and leaf displayed
For my little damask maid.
I had rather wear her grace
Than an earl's distinguished face;
I had rather dwell like her
Than be Duke of Exeter
Royalty enough for me
To subdue the bumble-bee!

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Text Authorship:

by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Poems by Emily Dickinson, first published 1891 [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 Ernst Bacon (1898 - 1990), "Velvet people", 1940-44, published 1944 [ voice and piano ], from Songs from Emily Dickinson: Nature Time and Space - Volume 2 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Gens en velours", copyright © 2017, (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: 17
Word count: 84

Gens en velours

Language: French (Français) after the English

Des séraphins pygmées -- égarés --
Des gens en velours de Vevey --
Des Belles de quelque jour d'été perdu --
L'exclusive Coterie des abeilles --
Paris ne pourrait exposer un tel pli
Ceinturé d'émeraudes --
Venise ne peut montrer une joue
D'une teinte aussi douce et chatoyante --
Jamais une telle embuscade 
N'a été déployée comme par les bruyères et les feuilles
Pour ma petite jeune fille damassée--
J'aimerais mieux porter sa grâce
Que le visage distingué d'un Comte --
J'aimerais mieux avoir une demeure comme elle
Qu'être « Duc d'Exeter » --
Comme Royauté il me suffit 
De soumettre le Bourdon.

Text Authorship:

Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2017 by Guy Laffaille, (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 English by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Poems by Emily Dickinson, first published 1891
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2017-01-02
Line count: 17
Word count: 94