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Il est doux de se coucher, durant la chaleur, sous un arbre touffu, et d'attendre que le vent du soir amène la fraîcheur. Femmes, approchez. Tandis que je me repose ici sous un arbre touffu, occupez mon oreille par vos accents prolongés. Répétez la chanson de la jeune fille, lorsque ses doigts tressent la natte ou lorsqu'assise auprès du riz, elle chasse les oiseaux avides. Le chant plaît à mon âme. La danse est pour moi presque aussi douce qu'un baiser. Que vos pas soient lents; qu'ils imitent les attitudes du plaisir et l'abandon de la volupté. Le vent du soir se lève; la lune commence à briller au travers des arbres de la montagne. Allez, et préparez le repas.
Authorship
- by Évariste Desiré de Forges, vicomte de Parny (1753 - 1814) [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 Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937), "Il est doux", M. 78 no. 3 (1925-26) [voice and piano], from Chansons madécasses, no. 3. [ sung text verified 2 times]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Peter Low) , title 1: "It is sweet", copyright © 2002, (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: 11
Word count: 121
It is sweet in the hot afternoon to lie under a leafy tree and wait
for the evening breeze to bring coolness.
Come, women! While I rest here under a leafy tree, fill my ears with
your sustained tones. Sing again the song of the girl plaiting her hair,
or the girl sitting near the ricefield chasing away the greedy birds.
Singing pleases my soul; and dancing is nearly as sweet as a kiss.
Tread slowly, and make your steps suggest the postures of pleasure and
ecstatic abandonment.
The breeze is starting to blow; the moon glistens through the mountain
trees. Go and prepare the evening meal.
Authorship
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2002 by Peter Low, (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 Évariste Desiré de Forges, vicomte de Parny (1753 - 1814)
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 10
Word count: 108